Professor J.D. Ackerman Environmental Studies UNBC
Please be familiar with the major terms presented in the lecture
summaries.
What is the origin of the earth's water?
What chemical species can be found in pure water (be specific)?
How can the earth's structure be classified?
Why is the theory of Plate Tectonics similar to the theory
of Evolution?
Why are glaciers in a dynamic equilibrium?
How are lakes formed?
What is continuity?
At what Reynolds numbers does flow become turbulent?
Is this the same for all objects/conditions?
What are the fluid dynamic conditions around a boat (10 m
long) sinking at 1 m/s?
What is the relationship between shear stress and sediment
transport?
What does an oceanic basin look like in profile?
What are hydrogenous sediments?
How are corals involved in biogeochemistry?
How do fringing reefs differ from barrier reefs?
What is the rate of flow between Well A and Well B if they
are 15 m apart and 15 cm different in height (the hydraulic conductivity
of sand is 1 m/day)?
How does the porosity of sediments affect the velocity of
flow in sediments?
What drives a convection cell? Give an example.
What caused the Great Salinity Anomaly and what did it do?
What are the primary and secondary causes of ocean currents?
Explain what is meant by a geostropic gyre?
Why are Western Boundary Currents larger than Eastern Boundary
Currents?
What are effects do the sun and the moon have on tides?
Where is the water level datum on the Spring and Neap Tides?
What are waves and how are they classified?
What is the difference between seas and swell?
What is the speed of a 20 m long wave in 1 m of water?
How are the Richardson and Densimetric Froude numbers related?
What are the conditions for a 2 m deep river with water flowing
at 5 m/s?
Describe the vertical distribution of conservative and non-conservative
elements in the oceans? What causes these distributions?
What is meant by the equilibrium of CO2 in water. What
are some of the consequences of this equilibrium?
How does stratification affect the distribution of dissolved
gas (be sure to describe the different patterns)?
Abiotic factors are said to affect the ecology of marine
organisms, can you provide support for this statement?
How can arthropods be present in the plankton, nekton, and
benthos?
Why are marshes and mangroves so productive?
Why is zonation evident in many intertidal ecosystems (give
examples in your answers)?
What is the difference between crude and refined oil and
what are the environmental implications associated with each of them?
What are marine resources and are they limited?
What are the mechanisms by which exotics are introduced to
new areas?
