What is the cause and effect of upwelling?
Upwelling is an oceanic process in which cold water from the deep rises toward the surface of the ocean. It is caused by strong winds and the rotation of the Earth which moves warmer surface waters offshore allowing the cold, nutrient rich water to rush up.
What causes the Ekman spiral?
Currents Tutorial The Ekman spiral occurs as a consequence of the Coriolis effect. As a result, each successively deeper layer of water moves more slowly to the right or left, creating a spiral effect.
How does downwelling support life?
Downwelling also allows for deep ocean oxygenation to occur because these waters are able to bring dissolved oxygen down from the surface to help facilitate aerobic respiration in organisms throughout the water column.
What percentage of the Earth is covered with water?
71 percent
Why is cold water more nutrient rich?
Also, when surface waters are cold, it is easier for deeper water to rise to the surface, bringing nutrients to sunlit areas where phytoplankton can use them. When surface water is warm, cooler, nutrient-rich water is trapped below. The rising, or upwelling water carries iron and other nutrients from the ocean floor.
Is cold water more productive?
Why is cold water more productive? Cold water can hold more dissolved oxygen than warm water. The levels of dissolved oxygen in Antarctic waters are so high that many fish have few or no red blood cells (the blood cells other animals, including humans, use to carry oxygen).
Which part of the ocean is the most productive?
Coastal
Why do waters become anoxic in a dead zone?
And the algal blooms, at some point, start degrading and sinking to the bottom, and bacteria work on these algae — they decompose the algae. And as they do that, they consume the oxygen from the water. So that leads to low oxygen water, or hypoxia.
Can we fix dead zones?
Conservation tillage: Reducing how often fields are tilled reduces erosion and soil compaction, builds soil organic matter, and reduces runoff. Managing livestock waste: Keeping animals and their waste out of streams, rivers, and lakes keep nitrogen and phosphorus out of the water and restores stream banks.