WEEK 10

PROPERTIES OF SEA
WATER

 Water is a polar chemical compound composed

of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom
(H2O).
The thermal properties of water are responsible
for the mild conditions on Earths surface.
Water density is greatly affected by temperature
(and salinity).
The chemical and physical properties of water
make it ideal to support life.

Water occur in 3
states :
liquid
solid
gas

A water
molecule is
composed of
two hydrogen
atoms and one
oxygen atom.
Water is a polar
molecule,
having a
positive and a
negative side.

What are two important properties of

water molecules?
1. Cohesion - the ability of water
molecules to stick to each
other, creating surface
tension.
Surface Tension :

Measures the strength of the

water surface film

Attraction of water molecules

creates strong film compared
to common liquids

Permits water to hold

substances heavier & denser
than itself.
e.g. Surface tension allows insects
to stand and walk on water surface

2. Adhesion the tendency of water molecules to stick to

other substances

Molecules at edge sticks to

molecules of glass just above
them, at the same time pull
other water mols along.
E.g. Allows paper towel/
sponge to soak water
Cloud formation, plant
physiology

Water And Heat

What is the difference between heat and temperature?
Heat is energy produced by the random vibrations of
atoms or molecules (cal).
- is a measure of how many molecules are vibrating &
how rapidly they are vibrating.
Temperature is an objects response to input or removal
of heat (oC).
- records only how rapidly the molecules of a substance
are vibrating.

Heat Capacity is a measure of the heat required to raise the

temperature of 1g of a substance by 1C.
Water has a very high heat capacity, which means it resists
changing temperature when heat is added or
removed.
Prevents extreme range in earths temperature
water bodies are more stable

Solvent

Ability to dissolve substances

gases, nutrients, other chemicals e.g. acids, bases, salts
influences water quality & properties

If not, life could not exist because water transfer nutrients vital to
life in plants & animals

Solubility of gases Temperature

A drop of water falling through air
Dissolves atmospheric gases

LAND

Affects quality of land, lakes, rivers, other

water bodies

DENSITY
Pure water - freezes at 0C (soild)
- boils at 100C (gas/vapor)
freezing point is lowered when substance is
dissolved in water e.g. spreading salt on streets to
prevent ice formation

unlike other substances which are densest in their solid state, ice is
less dense than water
Water density = 775x greater than air
Max density of water = 1.000g/cm3 at 3.94C
(not at freezing point)
ice at 0C = 0.9168g/cm3
Density

ionic content (e.g. salt)

Importance :- prevents water bodies freeze

from the bottom up
- allows water stratification

ICE :
Expands when freezes by
8%
Floats on water

Pressure
at sea level, organisms are
under the same pressure as
we are, which is dependent of
the weight of all the air above
them (= 1 atmosphere or 14.7
lbs/in2)
every 10 m depth, increase
another atmosphere of
pressure
as pressure increases, gases
compress, which restricts the
vertical distribution of
organisms

 this gas compression and

pressure increase has
effects for animals who
dive and who live at depth,
but may be brought to the
surface by human activities
(i.e., fishing)
ex: during net hauling fish
swimbladders inflate more
rapidly than the fish can
compensate for

Chemical Properties of Seawater

~ 97% of earths surface water is marine.

By mass: seawater ~96.5% water & 3.5% dissolved substances
(most of which form salts)

Salinity a measure of the dissolved solids in seawater, usually

expressed in grams per kilogram or parts per thousand (ppt), practical
salinity unit (psu) by weight.

Standard seawater has a salinity of 35 at 0C (32F)

1 kg of seawater contains ~35g of dissolved salts.

Away from coastal areas

Near shore salinity can be more variable

salinity varies within a narrow range

~33 - 37

Major constituents of Seawater at 35 Salinity

A diagrammatic representation of the most abundant components of a kilogram of seawater at

35 salinity. Note that the specific ions are represented in grams per kilogram, equivalent to
parts per thousand ()

Minor and Trace Elements in Seawater at 35 Salinity

Salinity varies depending on several factors:

evaporation
precipitation
freshwater runoff

Most of the dissolved solids in seawater are salts that have been
separated into ions.
Most abundant Sodium (Na+) & Chloride (Cl-)

Salinity strongly affects what organisms are in seawater.

What are the dissolved substances?

inorganic salts
organic compounds (originally from organisms)
dissolved gases

Sources of dissolved substances

Chemical weathering of rocks on land, carried to sea by runoff & rivers

(Na+ , Mg2+)
Earths interior released through hydrothermal vents (Cl-, Sulfide)
Atmosphere (volcanoes & other sources) enter in rain or snow

(previous figure)
Processes that regulate the major constituents in seawater.
Ions are added to seawater by rivers running off crustal rocks,
volcanic activity, groundwater, hydrothermal vents and cold
springs, and the decay of once-living organisms.
Ions are removed from the ocean by chemical entrapment as
water percolates through the mid-ocean ridge systems, or by
spray, uptake by living organisms, or incorporation into
sediments (and ultimately by subduction).

Dissolved gases

Required by plants & animals living in the ocean to survive

no marine animal has the ability to break down water molecules to obtain
oxygen directly
no marine plant can manufacture enough carbon dioxide to support its own
metabolism

Major gases in seawater nitrogen (N2)

oxygen (O2)
carbon dioxide (CO2)

The lower the temperature (T ), the greater the solubility of gases

(cold water has more oxygen)

The proportions of dissolved gases in the ocean differ from the atmosphere
differences of solubility (lower in water)

Major Gases in the Atmosphere & Ocean

Gas

% of Gas in
Atmosphere,
by Volume

% of Dissolved
Gas in Seawater,
by Volume

Concentration in
Seawater
in Parts per Million, by
Mass

Nitrogen
(N2)

78.08 %

48%

10-18 ppm

Oxygen (O2)

20.95%

36%

0-13 ppm

Carbon
dioxide
(CO2)

0.035%

15%

64-107 ppm

Nitrogen
Upper layers of ocean water are usually saturated additional
nitrogen will not dissolve
Required by organisms to build up proteins & other biochemicals
(but they cannot use the free nitrogen in the atmosphere and ocean
directly)
It must first be fixed into usable chemical forms by specialized
organisms
Some sp of bottom-dwelling bacteria can manufacture usable
nitrates from the nitrogen dissolved in seawater
Most nitrogen compounds needed by living organisms must be
recycled among the organisms themselves

Oxygen
~ 6mg of oxygen is dissolved in each liter of seawater.
(6 ppm)
Vital resource for animals that extract oxygen with
gills
Sources : photosynthesis of plants/ plantlike
organisms
from atmosphere
Dissolved oxygen (DO) can be increased by:
water movement
lowering water temperature

Carbon Dioxide
Needed by photosynthetic plants for growth
Reacts with seawater to form bicarbonate & carbonate ions.
More CO2 store in the ocean than in on land. (is a common
constituent of shells and sediments)
Affects pH buffering system (prevent broad swing of pH
when acids/bases are introduced
pH of Seawater slightly alkaline due to the bicarbonate
buffering system and to sodium, calcium & potassium.
7.5 8.4 & fairly constant

How concentration of O2 & CO2 varies

with depth

O2 is abundant near the surface

because of the activity of marine
photosynthesizers. O2 conc. Decreases
below the sunlit layer because of the
respiration of marine animals & bacteria
& the O2 consumed by the decay of tiny
dead organisms slowly sinking through
the area.

Plants & plantlike organisms use CO2

during photosynthesis, so surface level
of CO2 are low. P/sthesis cannot take
place in dark, so CO2 given off by
animals & bacteria tends to build up at
depths below the sunlit layer. CO2 also
increases with depth because its
solubility increases as pressure
increases and temperature decreases.

Temperature, salinity & water density

Density of seawater is depends on
temperature (T)
salinity (S)
pressure (p)
S
p
T

Density

 Ocean water form stable layers with the heaviest at

the bottom
density stratification
Evaporation can also produce salty, dense water that sinks
to the bottom until it reaches a layer of water of equal density.
Warm freshwater entering the ocean at a river mouth is much
less denser & floats for miles above the cooler, salty layer
below.

Density structure of the ocean

Ocean 3 density zones

1.

Surface zone mixed layer / upper layer of the ocean

T & S relatively constant with depth
(because wave action & current)
water in contact with atmosphere &
exposed to sunlight
contains the oceans least dense water
( ~ 2% of total ocean volume)
to a depth of 150 meters
( depending on local conditions, may
extend up to 1,000m or be absent entirely)

2. PYCNOCLINE

Pycnocline = the middle zone of the

ocean in which density increases
rapidly with depth.

Temperature falls & salinity rises in

this zone.
Isolates surface water from the
denser layer below.
Contains ~ 18% of all ocean water.

3. DEEP ZONE
Lies below the pycnocline
At depths below about 1,000 m.
Little additional change in water density with increasing depth through this zone.
Contains about 80% ocean waters.

Density stratification in the ocean. In most of the ocean, a surface zone (or mixed
layer) of relatively warm, low-density water overlies a layer called the
pycnocline. Density increases rapidly with depth in the pycnocline. Below the
pycnocline lies the deep zone of cold, dense water about 80% of total ocean
volume.

Thermocline
= The zone of the ocean in which temperature (T) decreases rapidly with depth.
Pycnoclines rapid density increase with depth is due mainly to a decrease
in water T.
Thermoclines are not identical in form for all oceans or latitudes

Halocline

A zone of rapid salinity (S) increase with depth.

Low S can also contribute to the pycnocline , especially in cool regions
where precipitation is high.

 Low S precipitation > evaporation

Tropics evaporation > precipitation
Polar & temperate precipitation > evaporation
The deep ocean at all latitudes are similar
cold, salty, dense

Light & colours of the ocean

Sunlight is scattered & absorbed once penetrates the ocean
Scattering occurs as light is bounced between air or water
molecules, dust particles, water droplets or other
objects before being absorbed.
Higher density (along with suspended & dissolved
particles) makes scattering more prevalent in the
water than air.
Absorption structure of water molecules it happens to strike
when light is absorbed, molecules vibrate & lights
electromagnetic energy is converted to heat.

Light from the Sun:

effects the salinity of the ocean (heat)
drives ocean currents & modifies our climate (heat)
energy for photosynthesis

 Ocean

Euphotic Zone
- Productivity of food by photosynthetic marine organisms

- Water is heated by sun, heat is transferred from

ocean to atmosphere & space & gases are
exchanged.
- Most of the oceans life is found here.
Aphotic Zone
-Complete blackness except for light generated by living
organisms.
-Bioluminescence The production of light by living
organisms

Water colors

Light energy of some colors is converted to heat nearer to

the surface than others.

The table shows the percentage of light absorbed in the

uppermost meter of the ocean, and the depths at which only 1%
of the light of each wavelength remains.

 The bar shows the depth of penetration of 1% of the light of

each wavelength (as in the last column of the previous table)

Ocean colour
Shorter wavelengths are bluer
Longer wavelengths are redder
The visible spectrum (wavelengths that human eyes
can detect) is only a part of the entire
electromagnetic spectrum.
Only green & blue wavelengths pass through water
in any appreciable quantity or distance.

 The top 1m of the ocean absorbs 71% of red light.

Light becomes bluer with depth because the red, yellow &
orange wavelengths are being absorbed.
By ~300m, even the blue light has been converted to heat.
Why does our ocean looks blue?

Clear ocean looks blue because blue light can travel far
enough to be scattered back through the surface to our eyes.
Water (and seawater) is a very good absorber of all
wavelengths of light except blue.

Changes in ocean color are primarily due to changes of:

the type and concentration of organisms suspended in
the water, namely phytoplankton (which include
photosynthetic bacteria, such as the cyanobacteria).
Areas of river outflow, sewage outfall, or intense land
runoff, near the coasts, may contain large amounts of
suspended sediments, which give seawater a brownish
or dirty color.

SOUND
Form of energy transmitted by rapid pressure changes in an elastic
medium.
Sound energy decreases as it travels through seawater because of
spreading
scattering
absorption
Scattering occurs when sound bounces off
bubbles, suspended particles, organisms, the surface,
bottom & other objects.

the

Sound waves can travel greater distances through water than light
waves can before being absorbed.
because sound travels through water so efficiently, marine animals
use sound rather than light to see in the ocean.

 Speed in seawater 5X of sound in

air (~1,500m/ second)
Speed when :
T & pressure
Sound travels faster in warm ocean
surface than in deeper, cooler
waters.
Speed decreases with depth
minimum 1,000m
Below 1,000m, increasing pressure
> increasing T, so speed increases
again.

The relationship between water depth

and sound velocity

Sonar
Whales & other marine
mammals use clicks &
whistles to find food &
avoid obstacles.