Climate: Global ThermostatLife in the Ocean!

Geosc040, Lecture 12

Feb 20, 2014

THON 2013 linedanceFTK!

Have You ever seen the rain?Creedence clearwater revivalThanks to Chazz F.Camping Next To Water Badly Drawn Boy Thanks to Margaret I.

Circa 2002

Read Chapters 7, 16 and 12

Homework 2 due Feb 25

THON!

Climate: Global

ThermostatLife in the Ocean!

The meridional overturning circulation (MOC) is a global system of surface, intermediate, and deep ocean currents. The MOC connects the surface layer of the ocean and the atmosphere with the huge reservoir of the deep sea and is the primary mechanism for transporting heat, freshwater, and carbon between ocean basins. Climate models show that past changes in the strength of the MOC were linked to historical climate variations. Further research suggests that the MOC will continue to modulate climate change scenarios on time scales ranging from decades to centuries …

Climate: Global ThermostatLife in the Ocean!

Life and Productivity in the World Ocean.

Where to things liveand why…

Nearly 98% of global fish production occurs:a) in pelagic zones of the open oceanb) in polar regions of deep waterc) in shelf and coastal upwelling regionsd) in mid-gyre regions

Life in the Ocean

There’s No Such Thing as a Free Lunch!

Fig. 12.9

Zones, where do things live..

• Classification by light vs. location

• Nearshore vs. Open Ocean

• What Resources for the Biota?

• What provides the basis for “food chains” in the marine realm?

• (answer: photosynthesis!!)

Marine Plankton

He’s about to call us Phytoplankton…. And say

that we arephotosynthetic ALGAE

Marine Photosynthesis

• Global patterns of photosynthetic organic carbon production• Satellite data summary: Coastal Zone Color Scanner provides data

for global maps of ocean• Photosynthesis (CZCS senses color bands for chlorophyll)• Areas of highest carbon production in orange and red, lowest in

purple.

Marine Phytoplankton Productivity

During Class, For example today in 100 Thomas, How many things can

you do at once?

A. listen to the lecture, think of questions, focus nearly exclusively on Geosc040

B. Keep track of the lecture while texting/email

C. Texting, Lecture, email

D. Facebook, Homework, Prep for another class, Geosc040, lecture

Multitasking

More distracte

d

Lessdistracted

Multitasking

Quiz 1

• 725 scores• 25 questions• 4 points for

Multiple Choice• 2 points for T/F

• Mean= 83.4• Median= 84.9• Std. = 12.1

Multitasking

MultitaskingDuring Class, For example

today in 100 Thomas, How many things can

you do at once?

A. listen to the lecture, think of questions, focus nearly exclusively on Geosc040

B. Keep track of the lecture while texting/email

C. Texting, Lecture, email

D. Facebook, Homework, Prep for another class, Geosc040, lecture

B

B-

Marine PlanktonPassively floating

organisms“Phytoplankton” are photosynthetic algae (microscopic plants)

Light microscope photo ofPlankton net tow sample(you will look at these in lab)Diatoms are about 100 µm acrossSample contains both animals and plants(zooplankton and phytoplankton)

diatoms

Marine Plankton 1. Phytoplankton dwell in the photic zone in all parts of the ocean

2. The organic matter they produce is the source of energy for nearly all other ocean life

Light microscope photo ofPlankton net tow sample(you will look at these in lab)Diatoms are about 100 µm acrossSample contains both animals and plants(zooplankton and phytoplankton)

diatoms

Marine Phytoplankton Productivity

Global map of organic carbon produced by marine phytoplankton photosynthesis

--measured in mass of kgC/m2 per yr.

Primary Productivity (kgC/m2)/yr)

Marine Phytoplankton Biomass

Production is highest where most nutrients are supplied

What conditions promote ample supply of nutrients?

What other factors influence “primary production”?

The Energy Cycle

Note that photosynthesis (and formation of plant organic matter) requires sunlight and nutrients

Organic matter is consumed by animals and plants (respiration), supporting their growth

Nutrients must be “recycled” (excreted by animals, “regenerated” by bacteria) to be reused by plants

Photosynthesis

Consumers

Consumers

nutrients

Hey, did younotice that blue light penetrates

deeper?

duh… anybody

knows that

Whale Feeding in the Bering and Chukchi Seas

Krill and amphipods (zooplankton, benthos)

A coccolithophorid bloom in April over the Bering Shelf

Phytoplankton are the basis for all animal life in the ocean.Note that it takes essentially 10,000 kg of phytoplankton to grow 1

kg of the “top predator”

The “Trophic Pyramid”

Climate: Global ThermostatLife in the Ocean!

Let’s do a bit of review

There is more dissolved CO2 in oceanic deepwater than in surface waters because:A. Photosynthesis occurs

primarily in deepwaterB. Organisms that respire

produce CO2 in deep water

C. Photosynthesis in surface water uses CO2

D. (B) and (C)

Think about the analogy between Heat Transport in the room on the left and Heat Transport on Earth

Which side of the room represents the equator?A. Left sideB. Right side

The room above shows ONE convection cell that transports heat from left to right, with hot air moving to the right, above, and cold air moving to the left. What does that convection cell best represent, by analogy? A. The California CurrentB. The Hadley CellC. The East Australian Current

Large scale atmospheric winds and pressure systemsA. are part of the transport of heat from low to high

latitudesB. are influenced by the Coriolis effectC. have a regular pattern related to rising and descending

winds at certain latitudesD. all of the aboveE. none of the above

Large scale gyres such as the North Atlantic Gyre: A. Transport heat from

the tropics to the poles

B. Involve Western Boundary Currents and Eastern Boundary Currents

C. Have a clockwise flow direction in the northern hemisphere

D. All of the above

Mardi Gras is Tuesday March 4th!! Fat Tuesday or Shrove Tuesday, is the last day of feasting before Lent begins on Ash Wednesday. Easter is always celebrated on the Sunday immediately following the Paschal –the first full moon after the vernal equinox

During the course of a year, Earth is closest to the sunA. during periods of full

moonB. at no time of the year,

Earth is always the same distance from the sun

C. in January, not long after the Dec. solstice

D. during the day time

The Great North Pacific Garbage Patch:A. Is caused by upwelling of

cold water over the equator

B. Is held together in part by the North Pacific Gyre

C. Circulates in a clockwise direction

D. Is not influenced by the Coriolis effect

E. B and C

One cause of high salinity in North Atlantic Surface Water is:A. High pressure

and clear skies around 30° N

B. Strong geostrophic flow, which keeps water in the N. Atlantic Gyre

C. EvaporationD. All of the

above

Salinity of ocean surface water is:A. influenced by

evaporationB. the same

throughout the world ocean

C.Nomally higher than salinity of deep water

D.(A) and (B)

The Coriolis Effect

L

H

Northern Hemisphere

Wind blowing toward this low pressure system will:A. Follow the path of the yellow arrowB. Follow the path of the red arrowC. Follow the path of the white arrowD. Start along the yellow path but then change to the red path

The arrows shows wind directions from high to low pressure

L

H

H

HH

The sketch is drawn for:A. The southern hemisphereB. The northern hemisphereC. Right over the equatorD. None of the above

The arrows shows wind directions from high to low pressure

L

H

H

HH

The sketch is drawn for:A. The southern hemisphereB. The northern hemisphereC. Right over the equatorD. None of the above

The arrows shows wind directions from high to low pressure

L

H

H

HH

The sketch is drawn for:A. The southern hemisphereB. The northern hemisphereC. Right over the equatorD. None of the above

The arrows shows wind directions from high to low pressure

L

H

H

HH

The sketch is drawn for:A. The southern hemisphereB. The northern hemisphereC. Right over the equatorD. None of the above

The central interior of gyres a) often have lower water levels than surrounding regions b) are called the halocline c) are smaller in the southern hemisphere due to the Coriolis effectd) are where eastern boundary currents are strongeste) none of the above