The Captain’s Orders

To help you understand the oceanic world, you’ll need to explore water’s unique and usual physical properties and link to its chemical properties. There is a computer on the Captain’s desk. You’ll need to use it to figure out what’s in your water. Answer the following questions using your survival skills and the internet.

Objectives

• Explore water’s unique and anomalous chemical properties and link to its physical properties.
• Explore water’s unique and anomalous physical properties and link to its chemistry.
• Demonstrate, through data collection and analyses, the chemical properties of sea-water.

Questions

1. Draw two water molecules and label the Hydrogen and Oxygen atoms.
2. A bug can walk on water because of what property of water?
3. Which phase of water has the largest distance between water molecules: Gas, Liquid, or Solid?
4. Which phase of water has the smallest distance between water molecules: Gas, Liquid, or Solid?
5. What term is used to describe when water turns from liquid to gas?
6. What term is used to describe when water turns from gas to liquid?
7. What term is used to describe when water turns from liquid to solid?
8. What term is used to describe when water turns from solid to liquid?
9. At the beach, on a hot day, in which substance are molecules moving with the highest internal velocity: Sand, Water, or Asphalt?
10. What happens to freshwater density when temperature rises from 10? to 20??
11. What happens to freshwater density when temperature descends from 20? to 10??
12. What happens to freshwater density when temperature rises from 1to 4??
13. What happens to freshwater density when temperature descends from 4? to 1??
14. What happens to seawater density when temperature rises from 1? to 4??
15. What happens to seawater density when temperature descends from 4? to 1??
16. What is the freezing point of freshwater?
17. What is the boiling point of freshwater?
18. What happens to water’s freezing point when salinity increases?
19. What happens to water’s boiling point when salinity increases?
20. Why do some people add salt (increase the salinity) to the water before boiling pasta noodles?
21. What happens to the heat of the surroundings during evaporation?
22. What happens to the heat of the surroundings during precipitation?
23. What happens when the relative humidity of air equals 100%?
24. What happens when the relative humidity of air equals 90% and the air warms?
25. What happens when the relative humidity of air equals 90% and the air cools?
26. Based on the “Selective Color Absorption Underwater” figure, what color of light is absorbed first in the open ocean?
27. What color of light lasts the longest and thus gives this water its color?
28. White light contains all colors of the spectrum (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet). What color(s) does green pigment (chlorophyll) absorb?
29. What color does green pigment (chlorophyll) reflect?
30. Which of these water types has the deepest photic zone (light travels deepest)?
    • Hot water, Cold water, or No difference
    • Water with lots of sediment, Clear of sediment, or No difference
    • Water with lots of plankton, Desert water (no life), or No difference