Problem 2
Say that someone brings several water samples to your laboratory. His problem is that the labels are incomplete. He knows samples \(\mathrm{A}\) and \(\mathrm{B}\) are from the Atlantic Ocean and that one came from near the equator and the other from near the Tropic of Cancer. But he does not know which one is which. He has a similar problem with samples \(\mathrm{C}\) and \(D\). One is from the Red Sea and the other is from the Baltic Sea. Applying your knowledge of ocean salinity, how would you identify the location of each sample? How were you able to figure this out?
Problem 3
You are swimming in the open ocean near the equator. The thermocline in this location is about \(1^{\circ} \mathrm{C}\) per 50 meters of depth. If the sea surface temperature is \(24^{\circ} \mathrm{C}\), how deep must you dive before you encounter a water temperature of \(19^{\circ} \mathrm{C} ?\)
Problem 5
After sampling a column of water from the surface to a depth of 3000 meters (nearly 10,000 feet , a colleague aboard an oceanographic research vessel tells you that the water column is isopycnal. What does this mean? What conditions create such a situation? What would have to happen in order to create a pycnocline?
Problem 6
Tropical environments on land are well known for their abundant life; rain forests are an example. By contrast, biological productivity in tropical oceans is meager. Why is this the case?
