Assignment

1) What is a greenhouse gas? Distinguish between the greenhouse effect and global warming.

2) Discuss the four types of greenhouse gases. Give the sources of these gases, their relative contribution to global warming, and their half-lives in the atmosphere.

3) Discuss the evidence for global warming

4) What is a positive feedback process? Describe some ways global warming is a positive feedback process.

5) Discuss some possible effects of global warming

6) Discuss ocean acidification and its possible long-term effects

7) Discuss the factors contributing to the disappearance of coral reefs

Using this week's assigned readings (and maybe an occasional peak at Google) you should be able to find the answers to your assigned discussion question. You must write one original post for your own assigned discussion question and two replies two other students' posts. Each post should be at least 100 words in length. For full credit, link to a webpage that pertains to the subject.

BIOLOGY: LIFE IN THE OCEANS

Any marine animal that is an active swimmer must find some way to maintain neutral buoyancy; that is, it must have the same density as sea water. If it is more dense, it will sink to the bottom; if it is less dense, it will come bobbing to the surface like a cork.

The density of living tissue is approximately 105% that of sea water. In order to achieve neutral buoyancy, the animal needs to find some way to make itself less dense.

For each of the following groups of animals, use your knowledge you learned in the course and/or the internet, write short paragraph explaining how they maintain neutral buoyancy. For each group of animals, cite at least one webpage as a reference.

a) Bony fish
b) Sharks
c) Squids
d) Nautilus