Physical Properties of Ocean Water

1. Physical Properties of Ocean Water

2. Abiotic Factors of Ocean H20 • Dissolved gases • ‘Carbon Sink’ = lots of CO2 • Enter through streams, volcanoes, organisms, and atmosphere • Dissolved solids • 3.5% of the mass of ocean water • Sea salts • Cl, Na, Mg, S, Ca, and K (if you don’t know what they are look in the back of your text book) • Enters through volcanic eruptions, chemical weathering of rock on land, and chemical reactions between sea water and newly formed sea-floor rocks

3. Abiotic Factors of Ocean H20 Continues • Salinity • Amount of dissolved salts in a liquid • Tropical water have a higher salinity at the surface than polar water do to evaporation rates. • Why do you think that is? • Decreases with depth

4. Abiotic Factors of Ocean H20 Continues • Temperature • Varies with depth and location • Affected by solar energy and water movement (currents) • Thermocline: marks the separation between the warm surface water and the cold deep water marinebio.org

5. Abiotic Factors of Ocean H20 Continues • Density • Mass/volume • Affected by salinity and temperature • Dissolved solids add mass to ocean water = more dense • Cold=dense • Wam=less dense • Where is the densest ocean water found? Why?

6. Abiotic Factors of Ocean H20 Continues • Color • Different colors helps to determine the health of the ocean • Ocean reflects back the blue wavelengths causing the ocean to appear blue • Phytoplankton are good indicators of a health ocean • Phytoplankton absorb red and blue light, but reflect green light. • What color would the ocean appear to be?

7. Currents

9. Waves

11. Tides