OCN 201. Chemistry & Physics of the Ocean. (but no need to panic) foot = 0.305m yard = 0.91m. Length. Area m 2 square feet ~0.09m2

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1 Chemistry & Physics of the Ocean OCN 201 (but no need to panic) Length m foot = 0.305m yard = 0.91m Area m 2 square feet ~0.09m2 Volume m 3 US pint ~ 0.47 L, L (liters) fl. oz. ~0.02 L Speed m/s mph Acceleration m/s 2 mph/s Weight kg, gram pound ~0.45kg Temperature oc, K (kelvin) of = (1.8x o C)+32 See Appendix 1 of textbook ,000,000,000 giga billion ,000,000 mega million ,000 kilo thousand deka ten deci tenth milli thousandth ,001 micro millionth ,000,001 nano billionth 1.000x10 3 = 1000 See Appendix 1 of textbook

2 Where is all Earth s water? Where is all Earth s water? % of total Cubic miles Oceans million Ice cap & glaciers million Groundwater million Lakes ,000 Soils ,000 Atmosphere (vapor) ,000 Rivers Biosphere Salinity

3 Periodic Table of the Elements Noble IA IIA IIIA IVA VA VIA VIIA VIIIA IB IIB IIIB IVB VB VIB VIIB gases H He Li Be B C N O F Ne Na Mg Al Si P S Cl Ar K Ca Sc Ti V Cr Mn Fe Co Ni Cu Zn Ga Ge As Se Br Kr Rb Sr Y Zr Nb Mo Tc Ru Rh Pd Ag Cd In Sn Sb Te I Xe Cs Ba La Hf Ta W Re Os Ir Pt Au Hg Tl Pb Bi Po At Rn Fr Ra Ac Lanthanides: Ce Pr Nd Pm Sm Eu Gd Tb Dy Ho Er Tm Yb Lu Actinides: Th Pa U Sun Earth Oceans Atmosphere Life H, He Fe, O, Si, Mg O, H N, O H 2 O, C Ni, Ca, S, Al Cl, Na, Mg, S, Ca, K Ar, H 2 O, CO 2 N, P With only a few exceptions, each of these reservoirs is made up of a different set of elements. This implies CHEMICAL DIFFERENTIATION. A few definitions Element Basic building block e.g., H, Na, Cl, O Compound Combination of elements e.g., NaCl, CO 2 Ion Any element or compound with a charge e.g., Na +, Cl -, S Salinity is the total quantity of dissolved inorganic solids (salts) in water In the ocean: 32 to 39 g/kg In rivers: approximately 0.1 g/kg

4 Ocean Surface Salinity iclicker Question High salinity ( e.g., in the Mediterranean Sea) is due to: a) Fish sweating b) Precipitation (rainfall) exceeding evaporation c) Evaporation exceeding precipitation d) Both b) and c) Composition of seawater Typically 35 grams of inorganic salt per liter of water Water Chemicals (salt) World Ocean Atlas (2005)

5 Water: a powerful solvent Water is a polarized molecule (+ and - ends) Causes ionic compounds to dissolve (e.g., Na + is attracted to the negative end of a water molecule) At a salinity of 35 g/kg Six ions make up 99.8% of dissolved chemicals Known as the Major Ions g/kg Cl - Chloride Na + Sodium SO4 2- Sulphate Mg 2+ Magnesium Ca + Calcium K + Potassium K + Ca + Mg 2+ Cl - SO4 2- Na + At a salinity of 35 g/kg In terms of number of atoms per kg of seawater Mole Cl - Chloride 1.13 Na + Sodium 0.98 SO4 2- Sulphate 0.06 Mg 2+ Magnesium 0.11 Ca + Calcium 0.02 K + Potassium 0.02 (one mole = 6x10 23 atoms) K + Cl - Ca + Mg 2+ SO4 2- Na +

6 iclicker Question How many pounds of salt are in a cubic meter of seawater (with a typical value of 35 g/kg)? a) 1 b) 5 c) 25 d) 50 e) 75 Principle of Constant Proportions Regardless of how the salinity varies from place to place, the ratios between the amounts of the six major ions (Cl -, Na +, SO 4 2-, Mg +, Ca +, K + ) in the open ocean are nearly constant. Principle of Constant Proportions For example Cl [g/kg] = Na [g/kg] =1.796 Everywhere in the ocean open (excluding near rivers or local sources) The salinity can change by rainfall or evaporation, but the major ions will all change their concentrations together.

7 Hypothesis: The ocean is salty because rivers carry dissolved salts, weathered from rocks on land, in to the ocean. The water then evaporates, leaving the salts behind. Test: Compare the salts in seawater with those delivered by rivers. Different composition Concentration [mg/l] 20,000 15,000 10,000 5,000 0 Cl- Cl- Na + Seawater SO 2-4 Mg 2+ Ca+ K+ HCO - 3 SiO 2 Concentration [mg/l] River water So river input isn t the whole story. Na + SO 2-4 Mg 2+ Ca+ K+ HCO - 3 SiO 2 Excess volatiles Components of seawater not accounted for by rivers are called excess volatiles Kilauea Volcano, courtesy Hawaii Volcano Observatory, USGS The Chloride comes from volcanism. HCl is an important part of volcanic gases.

8 Minor Ions Non-uniform distributions HCO3 - Bicarbonate g/kg Br - Bromide g/kg Sr 2+ Strontium g/kg H2BO3 Borate g/kg F - Fluoride g/kg Nutrients SiO2 Silica PO4 3- Phosphate NO3 - Nitrate Other Cd 2+ 3H Cadmium Tritium Minor Ions Have lower concentrations Have non-uniform distributions in the ocean Make useful tracers for oceanic processes Ratio of major ions is uniform everywhere in the open ocean Minor ions have non-uniform distributions

9 Is the ocean getting saltier? No. The ocean is in steady state, meaning over long periods stuff in equals stuff out River Flow In Flow Out Lake River Is the ocean getting saltier? Residence time is the average length of time an element spends in the ocean. River Flow In Flow Out Lake River Residence time Residence time is the average length of time an element spends in the ocean. Residence time [yr] = Amount of element in ocean [kg] Amount of element being added or removed from ocean [kg/yr]

10 Hydrological (water) cycle 11 7 Precipitation Evaporation 4 Rivers Units are L/yr Volume of the ocean = 140,000 x L Hydrothermal iclicker Question The volume of the ocean is 1.4x10 21 liters, and the volume flowing into the ocean from rivers is 4x10 16 liters per year, how long would it take to fill the ocean from rivers input alone? a) 300 years b) 5,000 years c) 30,000 years d) 500,000 years e) More Ocean residence times Chloride Cl million years Sodium Na + 68 million years Magnesium Mg million years Sulphate SO million years Potassium K + 7 million years Calcium Ca + 1 million years Bicarbonate HCO3-110,000 years Aluminum Al 600 years Iron Fe 200 years

11 Elements with long residence times: Have a long time to accumulate in the oceans Concentrations can increase Undergo large number of stirring cycles Are well mixed Elements with short residence times: Are removed quickly Do not have time to build up concentration Not well mixed iclicker Question Why is the ocean salty? a) Material from volcanos b) Material from hydrothermal vents c) Dolphin sweat (because fish aren t mammals) d) Salt from rivers e) Almost all of the above Hydrothermal vents are places where high temperature water comes into the ocean. are generally found on tectonic plate boundaries that are spreading apart.

12 Black Smokers Water can be up to 380 o C in a Black Smoker. Some key ideas Water is a polarized molecule with the remarkable ability to dissolve more substances than any other natural solvent. Salinity is the measure of dissolved inorganic solids in water (grams of salt per kilogram of seawater). There are six major ions that account for 99.8% of dissolved chemicals in seawater. What is the difference between major and minor ions? The Principal of Constant Proportions. Why does it applies to the major ions but not to others? How does Residence Times relate to the Principal of Constant Proportions? Where does the salt in the ocean come from? Hydrothermal vents inject high temperature water that has been cycled though the Earth s mantle. They are normally found on tectonic plate boundaries.