MARINE & MARITIME 11ATAR

Oceanography

· properties and characteristics of sea water: salinity, solvent properties, heat capacity, density, viscosity, buoyancy, water pressure, light, displacement (including plimsoll line), effect on light, velocity of sound, and dissolved gases

· location and characteristics of Western Australian marine ecosystems, including:

• sea grass meadows
•  reefs
• deep seas (> 400 m)
• estuaries
• mangroves

· classification and identification of species relevant to the Western Australian marine ecosystems studied

· construction and use of simple apparatus to measure abiotic factors of a marine ecosystem

· methods of measuring biotic factors: transects and quadrats

· cycling of nitrogen, carbon and water through a marine ecosystem

· interdependence of organisms within a marine ecosystem, including food webs

· factors that create ocean currents, including:

• wind
• Earth’s rotation – Coriolis force
• water temperature differences
• water density differences

· global surface ocean currents: names, locations, and role in energy transfer

· global atmospheric circulation systems, including:

• Southern Oscillation Index and Walker Circulation
• El Niño and La Niña

• human activities may contribute to habitat disturbance within ecosystems. Techniques, including transects and video surveying, in conjunction with measurement of abiotic factors, can be used so that a complete picture of the health of an ecosystem and its resilience to change may be obtained
• identification of cyclical changes in global atmospheric circulation systems (El Niño, La Niña) require systematic collection and analysis of data, such as air pressure and sea-surface temperature records, to reveal patterns over time