ENV100Y5 Chapter Notes - Chapter 12: Coral Reef, Wave Power, Estuary
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ENV100Y5 Full Course Notes
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Document Summary
Oceanography: scientific study of the physics, chemistry, biology, and geology of the oceans. Encompasses much of biosphere, including at least 250,000 species. Bathymetry: the topography of the ocean floor: gently sloping continental shelves underlie the shallow waters bordering the continents, continental shelves: Most of the remainder consists of ions from dissolved salts. Is salty b/c ocean basins are the final repositories for water that runs off the land: of ocean water generally ranges from 3. 1% - 3. 8%, with an average of about. Ocean has dissolved salts and dissolved gas. 36% of the gas dissolved is oxygen. Oxygen is produced by photosynthetic phytoplankton, algae, bacteria, and aquatic plants, and by diffusion from the atmosphere. Ocean water is layered from top to bottom. Sunlight warms ocean"s surface but does not penetrate deeply: ocean water warmest at surface and becomes colder with depth. Water density increases as salinity rises and as temperature falls: this relationship gives rise to different layers:
