DynamicsofMarineEcosystems Exam4Review–12December2016
PracticeProblems
NAME:_______________________________________
1. WhatarethetwopumpsthatputΣCO2intotheocean?Besuretoincludetheir
significantequations.
2. Explain,withnumbersandfigures,thefractionationofδ13C.
3. HowdoescirculationaffectthedistributionofΣCO2?Drawanddescribethekey
figure(s).
4. WhyisthedeepAtlanticrichincarbonate?HowdoesthisrelatetotheCCD?
TheTHCtransportsΣCO2outoftheAtlantic,solevelscanneveraggregatetothoseofthe
Pacific.ThereforetheCCDismuchdeeperascarbonatecanexistatdeeperdepthsbefore
dissolving.
Mean
DynamicsofMarineEcosystems NAME:_______________________________________
Exam4Review–12December2016
5. Howwillincreasedoceantemperaturesaffectspeciesanddistributions?
Manyspecieswillmove
polewardtostaywiththe
temperaturestheyprefer.
Additionally,many
heterotrophswillhaveto
followtheirfood,whichwill
movenorthwardaswell.
6. Whatisthedominantstressorofcoralbleaching?WhynotpH?
Thedominantstressorofcoralbleachingistemperature.Hightemperaturescausecoralto
expeltheirzooxanthellae.However,zooxanthellaearethemaincoralfoodsource,soifthe
bleachingisseverethecoralwillnotbeabletorecoverandwilldie.Thestressoris
temperatureandnotpHbecausethecoralsaremoresensitivetoslightchangesin
temperature.
7. GiventhefatesoficeintheArcticandAntarctic,whatwillhappentocharismatic
megafaunalikepolarbearsandemperorpenguins?
8. Whatcauseshypoxia?Howisitbecomingmoreprevalent?Whatcausesdeadzones?
Hypoxiaiscausedbyhighprimary
productivityinducedbacterial
decomposition,warming,stratification,and
advectionoflowDOwater.Asoceanswarm,
humansover-fertilize,andoceansintensify
stratification,hypoxiaisworseningbyboth
expandinginlocationandduration.These
processesofeutrophicationandupwelling
canresultindeadzonesifsufficiently
persistent.
9. WhatistheOMZ?Whatadaptationsarenecessarytosurvivethere?
TheOMZistheregionwheredissolvedoxygen
concentrationsarebelow0.5mL/L.Inordertosurvive,
manyorganismshaveslowmetabolisms,smallbodies,
largergills/lungs,andefficientbloodpigments.
DynamicsofMarineEcosystems NAME:_______________________________________
Exam4Review–12December2016
10. WhatarethetwomainformsofCaCO3,andsomecalcifiersofeach?Howwillthey
reactdifferentlytooceanacidification?HowdoesthisvarybetweenthePacificand
theAtlantic?
Aragonite:Hardcorals,Pteropods,Snail&Bivalvelarvae,someadultsnails.Calcite:Soft
corals,coccolithophores,someadultsnails&bivalves,sponges,foraminifera,seaurchins,
barnacles.AragonitedissolvesathigherpH,assuchitwillbeaffectedfirstandmoreso.
OrganismsinPacificmorevulnerabletoacidificationthanorganismsinAtlantic.Pacific
mixedlayerisshallower,anddeepwaterhasbeencutofflonger.
11. HowandwhydoespCO2varyinestuaries?
OceanpHisnear8,FreshwaterpH=7.Ocean
wateris“buffered,”Freshwaterhaslittleorno
bufferingcapacity.EstuarinepCO2ismuchmore
variablebecauseoftidalflushingandoscillations
betweenhighandlowbufferingcapacityEstuarine
pCO2canbemuchhigherbecauseoflargeCO2
contributionfromrespirationbyPlankton(lots),
Benthicorganisms(lots),Bacteria(lots).
12. Howdoessoundpropagateintheocean?Whatdeterminesthespeedofsoundinthe
ocean?
Soundpropagatesbycompressionandrarefactionofacompressiblemedium.Waterisnot
verycompressible,sothespeedismuchhigherthaninair.Thespeedofsoundisaffected
bytemperature,salinity,andpressure.
13. WhatistheSOFARchannel?Howdoesitmanagesoundwaves?
TheSoundFrequencyAndRangingchannelisa
regionoftheoceanwherethetemperature,
salinity,andpressureresultinalocalizedspeed
minimum.Leavingthesoundchannelcausesthe
speedofsoundtoincrease,whichcausesitto
bendbackintothechannelandtherefore
propagategreatdistances.
14. Whatcausesattenuationloss?
DynamicsofMarineEcosystems NAME:_______________________________________
Exam4Review–12December2016
15. Howdoesafishfinderlocateandidentifyfish?
Airismorecompressiblethanwater,andairbubbleshavenaturalresonantfrequencies
dependentontheirsize.Fishhaveair-filledsacscalledswimbladdersthatareroughly
ellipsoidalinshapeandwhichcanpresentaresonanttargettosonar.Thedifferencesin
swimbladderscausedifferencesinthereturnechoofasonarsignal.Echosignaturesfor
specificspeciescanbedeterminedandusedtoidentifyfish.
16. Howcansoundwavesbeusedtostudytheoceanclimate?
Changesinacoustictraveltimesoververylongdistancesareusedtomonitorseasonaland
interannualoceantemperaturechangerelatedtochangingclimate.
17. Howmightafishusesoundwaves?
Somefishusesoundforcourtingandasafrightresponse.
Aninvertebrate?
Snappingshrimpmakenoisetostuntheirprey.Theycreateacavitationbubblethat
“snaps”asitcollapses.
Atoothedwhale?
Echolocation,communication.
Abaleenwhale?
Long-distancecommunication.
18. Howdoesatoothedwhaleecholocate?Whydon’tbaleenwhalesecholocate?
Baleenwhalesproducelow-frequencysounds
withlongwavelengths.Wavelengthdetermines
theminimumechodetectiondistance.
Additionally,muchoftheirpreyarepoor
acoustictargets.
19. Howdobaleenwhalescommunicateovergreatdistances?
Baleenwhaleslow-frequencysoundspropagategreatdistancesbeforebeingabsorbed,and
utilizetheSOFARchanneltocommunicateevenfarther.
20. Howdoesanthropogenicinterferencehindercetaceancommunication?Whatmore
harmfuleffectscanresult?
Thereisagreatdealofbackgroundnoisefromshiptraffic,sonar,militaryprojects,etc.
Thiscanleadtodisruptionoffeeding,breeding,nursing,acousticcommunicationand
sensing;psychologicalandphysiologicalstress;temporaryorpermanenthearinglossor
impairment;deathfromlunghemorrhageorothertissuetrauma.