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    HW 8 Chs 14 & 15

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    Khalil Jennette
    This document contains summaries of key concepts from chapters 14 and 15 of an oceanography textbook. It discusses how seasonal changes in sea ice influence ocean salinity near Alaska. It also explains how to identify the locations of incomplete water samples based on ocean salinity patterns. Finally, it defines terms like isopycnal, groins, and tidal flats as they relate to oceanographic concepts covered in the chapters.

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    HW 8 Chs 14 & 15

    Uploaded by

    Khalil Jennette
    250 views2 pages
    This document contains summaries of key concepts from chapters 14 and 15 of an oceanography textbook. It discusses how seasonal changes in sea ice influence ocean salinity near Alaska. It also explains how to identify the locations of incomplete water samples based on ocean salinity patterns. Finally, it defines terms like isopycnal, groins, and tidal flats as they relate to oceanographic concepts covered in the chapters.

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    This document contains summaries of key concepts from chapters 14 and 15 of an oceanography textbook. It discusses how seasonal changes in sea ice influence ocean salinity near Alaska. It also explains how to identify the locations of incomplete water samples based on ocean salinity patterns. Finally, it defines terms like isopycnal, groins, and tidal flats as they relate to oceanographic concepts covered in the chapters.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    250 views2 pages

    HW 8 Chs 14 & 15

    Uploaded by

    Khalil Jennette
    This document contains summaries of key concepts from chapters 14 and 15 of an oceanography textbook. It discusses how seasonal changes in sea ice influence ocean salinity near Alaska. It also explains how to identify the locations of incomplete water samples based on ocean salinity patterns. Finally, it defines terms like isopycnal, groins, and tidal flats as they relate to oceanographic concepts covered in the chapters.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 2

    Khalil Jennette

    David LoBue
    APS 101-700
    Jul 6. 2021

    HW 8 Chs 14 & 15

    Chapter 14
    1) The accompanying photo shows sea ice in the Beaufort Sea near Barrow, Alaska. How do
    seasonal changes in the amount of sea ice influence the salinity of the remaining surface water?
    Is water density greater before or after sea ice forms? Explain.
    During the winter, the seawater freezes and only a small proportion of sea salts
    becomes part of the ice. This means that the salinity increases in the remaining
    seawater. When summer comes around, the ice melts and the addition of freshwater
    dilutes the solution, decreasing seawater salinity.

    The water density is greater AFTER the ice forms, since the salinity would’ve increased;
    the higher the salinity of water, the greater its density.

    2) Say that someone brings several water samples to your laboratory. His problem is that the
    labels are incomplete. He knows samples A and B are from the Atlantic Ocean and that one
    came from near the equator and the other from near the Tropic of Cancer. But he does not know
    which one is which. He has a similar problem with samples C and D. One is from the Red Sea,
    and the other is from the Baltic Sea. Applying your knowledge of ocean salinity, how would you
    identify the location of each sample? How were you able to figure this out?
    In the case of samples A and B, the one that came from the equator would have lower
    salinity, since large amounts of precipitation occur near the equator, which dilutes ocean
    waters. Conversely, the sample that came from the Tropic of Cancer would have higher
    salinity, as this is where dry subtropical regions are usually located and evaporation rates
    are high.

    With samples C and D, since the Red Sea is located on the Tropic of Cancer, it has
    higher salinity compared to the Baltic Sea.

    3) After sampling a column of water from the surface to a depth of 3000 meters (nearly 10,000
    feet), a colleague aboard an oceanographic research vessel tells you that the water column is
    isopycnal. What does this mean? What conditions create such a situation? What would have to
    happen in order to create a pycnocline?
    If the water column is isopycnal, this means that salinity and temperature are
    constant throughout its depths. In order for the sample to be from a isopycnal water
    column, it would have to be taken from a location at high latitude where pycnocline is
    absent.
    The pycnocline is created due to changes in salinity and temperature, which causes
    density to increase rapidly with depth.
    Chapter 15
    6) Examine the accompanying aerial photo that shows a portion of the New Jersey shoreline.
    What term is applied to the wall-like structures that extend into the water? What is their
    purpose? In what direction are the beach drift and longshore currents moving sand: toward the
    top or toward the bottom photo?
    The wall-like structures that extend into the water are called groins. A groin is a barrier
    built at a right angle to the beach to trap sand that is moving parallel to the shore. The
    purpose is to prevent beach erosion. Beach drift and longshore currents move the sand
    in a zig-zag pattern down the slope of the beach. The sand in the picture is moving
    towards the bottom of the photo.

    7) This photo shows a portion of the Maine coast. The brown muddy area in the foreground is
    influenced by tidal currents. What term is applied to this muddy area? Name the type of tidal
    current this area will experience in the hours to come.
    The muddy area is known as a tidal flat, which is an area covered and uncovered by
    alternating tidal currents. The tidal currents this area will experience in the coming hours are
    called flood currents, which are tidal currents that advance into the coastal zone as the tide
    rises.

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