9GE01 - Energy 1.3 - Pumping Carbon

Which biological process helps phytoplankton sequester atmospheric carbon?

• Respiration

• Photosynthesis

• Calcification

• Decomposition

Where do carbonate shells/tests move into the deep ocean water?

• Through the nitrogen cycle

• Through the sulphur cycle

• Through the carbonate pump

• Through the oxygen cycle

What is one of the ways the ocean regulates CO₂?

• By thermal expansion

• By saline contraction

• By thermohaline circulation

• By atmospheric pressure changes

Why don't warm tropical water and cold polar water mix?

• Because they are at different temperatures

• Because they have different salinities

• Because they are at different depths

• Because one is always moving while the other is stationary

Which statement about solubility is true?

• Warmer water can hold more gas than colder water

• Colder water can hold more gas than warmer water

• Gas solubility does not depend on water temperature

• Gas molecules move faster in colder water, increasing solubility

What is the result of the physical "pumping" of water?

• Warm water circulates near the Equator

• Cold water is replenished by warm Antarctic water

• Cold water circulates near Antarctica

• Warm water sinks and cold water rises in the Southern Ocean

What role does the Southern Ocean play in carbon dioxide diffusion?

• It contributes to 25% of CO2 diffusion

• It has no significant role in CO2 diffusion

• It prevents CO2 diffusion entirely

• It contributes to 75% of CO2 diffusion

What happens to warm tropical water as part of the thermohaline circulation?

• It sinks at the poles and rises at the equator

• It evaporates at the poles, leaving saltier water behind

• It moves towards the poles, evaporates, and the resulting saltier water sinks

• It remains at the surface and does not participate in deep water formation

What is the role of diffusion in oceanic CO2 regulation?

• It releases CO2 from the ocean to the atmosphere.

• It absorbs CO2 from the atmosphere into the ocean.

• It converts CO2 into organic matter through photosynthesis.

• It transports CO2 from the deep ocean to the surface.

What is the significance of downwelling currents in CO2 regulation in the ocean?

• They bring warm water from the deep ocean to the surface.

• They move water from the surface ocean to the deep oceans.

• They increase the temperature of the ocean surface.

• They decrease the salinity of the ocean water.