Question

extra credit Mailings Review View 21 El av Aa BbCcDdEe AaBbCcDdee No Spacing AaBbCcDc AaBbc Heading 1 Normal 1. Briefly describe what is shown in the graph of water temperature. Le. Briefly explain how water temperature at different depths in the water column varies throughout the year at this site in the Gulf of Maine. Water Temperatures B01 (lm, 20m, 50m) Weekly Average Water Temperatures - 301 Im Weekdy Averag Water Temperatures - 301 20m Weekdy Average Water Temperatures - B01 50m Deg C Mar 0119 Feb 01 19 Jan 01 19 Jul 01 19 Jun 02 79 May 0119 Apr 0129 Nov 01 19 Oct 02 20 Sep 0119 Aug 01 19 Decor 19 Briefly describe what is shown in the graph of salinity. 1.c. briefly explain how salinity at ferent depths in the water column varies throughout the

Answer 1

Introduction: Water temperature denotes the hot and cold temperature of water. It is a physical property. It measures the thermal energy. This thermal energy can be transferred from one source to another in the form of heat. The heat from sunlight alters the temperature of water. The Gulf of Maine is situated in the gulf of the Atlantic Ocean. It is a semi-enclosed sea having deeps basins. This ocean is rich in marine ecosystems.

Explanation: Water temperature of an ocean refers to the temperature variation occurring in the ocean belt. It is observed that the surface of ocean is warmer than the deep ocean. Oceans which are deep having approximately 200 meters depth is cold with temperature of approximately 4-5°C

Water temperature graph – The graph shows the average ocean water temperature collected and plotted every month. The x-axis represents the months from Jan-19 to Dec-19 and y-axis shows the degree expressed in Celsius. The measurement represents surface of 1 meter, 20 meter and 50 meter below surface of the sea.

• At 1 meter - The temperature of ocean water at 1 meter shows approximately 3-8°C from Jan to May. Maximum temperature around 20°C is seen July to Sep. A sudden drop of temperature is seen around mid-Nov. This is because the sea surface temperature varies greatly at short distances from the shore. The atmospheric temperature, sunlight and ocean current play a key role in this change.
• At 20 and 50 meter - The temperature of ocean water at 20 and 50 meter shows approximately 3-8°C from Jan to May with mid-march having a temperature of 5°C. A slow rise in temperature below 10°C is seen mid-May to Sep. Maximum temperature of less than 15°C is seen in Nov. The fall in temperature is again observed in Dec. As the ocean gets deeper, uniform water is maintained. Sunlight also cannot heat the water at such depth. Also, the bottom water becomes denser due to increased salinity. The saline water sinks to the bottom. Hence cold temperature is observed in the deep ocean.

Variation of water temperature in Gulf of Maine – The Gulf of Maine during the last decade has caused sea surface temperatures to rise to greater levels. This is mainly produced due to increased salinity and increased CO₂ solubility in the ocean water due to climate change. Due to increased solar heating, the ocean surface is warm especially from May to mid-August of around 1 meter. A maximal temperature of approximately 50°C and above is seen due to ocean heat waves shifting the global currents and pushing more warm water into the Gulf of Maine. The deeper regions of 20 meter of the ocean also becomes warm than normal cold temperatures thereby altering the ecosystem and creating a difficult environment for the aquatic organisms.