Chapter 11: The Coastal Ocean

Front 1

(11.1-1)

Describe the four main components of the Law of the Sea

Back 1

1. Coastal Nations Jurisdiction:

---National sovereignty extends 12 nautical miles

---Exclusive Economic Zone; 200 nautical miles from land (mineral and fishing resources)

2. Right of Free Passage for Ships

3. Open ocean mineral resources regulated by the International Seabed Authority

4. United Nations Arbitrates Disputes

Front 2

(11.1-2)

What was the basis for establishing the 3-mile territorial limit of ownership from shore?

Back 2

Controversy over the Nations control over a portion of the ocean.

*Territorial Sea: declared under the coastal nations sovereignty (3 nautical miles)

Front 3

(11.2-1)

For Coastal Oceans where deep mixing does not occur, discuss the effect that offshore winds & freshwater runoff will have on salinity distribution.

Back 3

Salinity is variable due to:

1. Freshwater runoff: can produce a well-defined halocline

2. Mixing by tides: Water may be isohaline

3. Winds (offshore): Dry offshore winds cause a high rate of evaporation and thus high surface salinities

Front 4

(11.2-2)

How will winter and summer seasons affect the temperature distribution in the water column?

Back 4

**TEMPERATURE VARIABLE**

In the middle latitudes, coastal surface water is significantly warmed during the summer and cooled during the winter.

Front 5

(11.2-3)

1. Describe how coastal runoff of low-salinity water produces a coastal geostrophic current.

2. Give a specific location where a coastal geostrophic current can be found.

Back 5

1. Wind & runoff create Coastal Geostrophic Currents.

--- Piled up surface water affected by Coriolis Effect & friction.

--- Flow parallel to the coast.

2. Davidson Current develops during winter along the Washington & Oregon Coast.

Front 6

(11.3-1)

Describe the four main types of Estuaries based on geologic origin.

Back 6

1. Coastal Plain Estuary: former river valley now flooded with sea waterEx: Chesapeake & Delaware Bays

2. Fjord: former glaciated valley now flooded with sea water. Ex: Alaskan Fjord

3. Bar-Built Estuary:lagoon separated from ocean by sand bar or barrier island.Ex: New Jersey Coast

4. Tectonic Estuary: Faulted or folded down-dropped area now flooded with ocean. EX: San Francisco Bay (dropping b/t two faults)

Front 7

(11.3-2)

1. Describe the difference b/t vertically mixed & salt wedge estuaries in terms of: (1) salinity distribution, (2) depth, and (3) volume of river flow.

2. Which displays the more classical estuarine circulation patter?

Back 7

Vertically Mixed (Most classical estuarine circulation pattern)

1. Uniform: Surface to bottom up from head to mouth.

2. Shallow

3. Low volume

Salt Wedge

1. Strong halocline (vertical) @ any point

2. Deep

3. High volume - EX: Columbia River Estuary

Front 8

(11.3-3)

1. Discuss the factors that cause the surface salinity of Chesapeake Bay to be greater along its east side.

2. Why are periods of Summer anoxia becoming increasingly worse in Chesapeake Bay deep water?

Back 8

Slightly stratified

Seasonal changes in salinity, temp., dissolved oxygen

Anoxic conditions below pycnocline in summer

---lack of oxygen

Major kills of commercially important marine animals

Front 9

(11.3-4)

What factors lead to a wide seasonal range of Salinity in Laguna Madre?

Back 9

Laguna Madre along the Texas coast formed about 6000 years ago

Large temperature & salinity range

---Hypersaline causes this wide range.---

** High evaporation generally keeps salinity < 50 parts-per-thousand

Marsh replaced by open beach sand on Padre Island

Front 10

(11.3-5)

Describe the circulation b/t the Atlantic Ocean & Mediterranean Sea, and explain how & why it differs from typical estuarine circulation.

Back 10

Circulation Opposite to Estuarine Circulation

Circulation caused by dry, intense heat of the middle east.

---High rate of evaporation

**High inflow of Atlantic ocean water to replace evaporated water

During winter, this water sings to form the Mediterranean Intermediate Water = High salinity

---This water returns to Atlantic ocean as Subsurface Flow

Front 11

(11.4-1)

Name the 2 coastal wetland environments and the latitude ranges where each will likely develop.

Back 11

1. Salt Marshes:

--- b/t 30 & 65 degrees

---Grasses and low-lying plants (halophytic= salt plant)

2. Mangrove Swamps:

--- restricted to tropical regions(> 30 deg. lat.)

--- Trees & shrubs & palms.

Front 12

(11.4-2)

How do wetlands contribute to the biology of the oceans & the cleansing of polluted river water?

Back 12

1. Nurseries, feeding grounds for commercially important marine animals

2. Efficiently cleanse polluted water

3. Absorb water from coastal flooding

4. Protect shores from wave erosion

Front 13

(11.4-3)

3. How large an area of wetlands has been lost in the conterminous U.S.?

2. What % of original wetlands still remains?

3. What is the U.S. doing to reverse this trend?

Back 13

1. Half (109 million acres)

i.e. housing, industry, agriculture

2. 106 million acres still remain

3. U.S. Office of Wetland Protection, 1986

---minimize loss of wetlands

---protect or restore wetlands

Front 14

(11.5-1)

Examine the World Health Organization's definition of pollution. Why does it need to be so specific?

Back 14

There are many factors and grey areas that the broad definition of pollution does not address.

Front 15

(11.5-2)

Why do some scientists believe that the ocean can be a repository for many of society's wastes?

If we do use the ocean as a disposal site, what conditions should be required?

Back 15

Diluting pollutants with huge volumes of ocean water will make them less harmful.

Long-term effects unknown

Debate about dumping wastes in ocean

---some say none at all and some say ok, as long as it is properly disposed and monitored.

Front 16

(11.6-1)

Why would some marine pollution experts consider oil among the least damaging pollutants in the ocean?

Back 16

Oil is a mixture of various hydrocarbons.

--Hydrocarbsonare organic substances so they can be biodegraded.

B/c hydrocarbons are largely biodegradable many marine pollution experts consider oil to be among the least damaging pollutants introduced into the ocean.

Front 17

(11.6-2)

Discuss techniques used to clean oil spills.

Why is it important to begin the clean-up immediately?

Back 17

Oil breaks down by natural processes

--Tar balls sink

Bioremediation - using bacteria and fungi to biodegrade oil.

Marine animals & organisms, fur or feathers, loose insulation properties when covered in oil.

Front 18

(11.6-3)

Describe the worlds largest accidental and intentionally released oil spills.

How many times larger was each than the Exxon Valdez oil spill?

Back 18

1. Exxon Valdez (1989) - Prince William Sound, Alaska; 44 million liters

2. Deepwater Horizon (2010) Gulf of Mexico,

Largest accidental spill; 780 million liters

3. Persian Gulf War (1991) Kuwait, Persian gulf;

908 million liters spilled & 3.8 billion overall.

4. Ixtoc #1 (1979) Bay of Campeche off Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico; 530 million liters.

Front 19

(11.6-4)

How would dumping sewage in deeper water off the east coast help reduce negative impacts on the ocean floor?

Back 19

The deepwater waves would break apart the sewage and dilute harmful bacteria before reaching the ocean floor.

Front 20

(11.6-5)

Discuss the animal populations that clearly suffered from the effects of DDT and the way in which this negative effect was manifested?

Back 20

Pesticide DDT (dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane)

Decline in bird populations

Thin eggshells

--Long Island Osprey

--California brown pelican

DDT widely used in 1950s, banned in United States in 1972

--Rebound of some marine bird populations.

Front 21

(11.6-6)

What causes Minamata disease?

What are the symptoms of the disease in humans?

Back 21

Mercury and Minamata Disease

Methyl mercury toxic to most living organisms

Chemical plant in Minamata Bay, Japan, released mercury in 1938

First reported ecological changes in 1950; by 1953 humans were poisoned

--Neurological disorder

Front 22

(11.6-7)

What is nonpoint source pollution, and how does it get to the ocean?

What other ways does trash get into the ocean ?

Back 22

NSP - also called "poison runoff" - is any type of pollution entering the ocean from multiple sources rather than from a single discrete source, point, or location.

Storm drains, legal and illegal dumping

Front 23

(11.6-8)

What properties contributed to plastics being considered a miracle substance?

How do those same properties cause them to be unusually persistent and damaging in the marine environment?

Back 23

1. They are lightweight, so they float and concentrate at the surface.

2. They are strong, so they entangle marine organisms.

3. They are durable, so they don't biodegrade easily, causing them to last almost indefinitely.

4. They are inexpensive, so they are mass-produced and used in almost everything.

Front 24

(11.6-9)

What are non-native species?

Why can they be so damaging to ecosystems?

Back 24

Non-native species are species that originate in a particular area but are introduced into new environments either by the deliberate or accidental actions of humans and so are classified as biological pollutants.

EX: Zebra Mussel's - driven out native mussels, altered the ecology of freshwater lakes and streams, and blocked the water-carrying pipes of power plants and many other industrial facilities.