If Earth's Oceans Were Fresh Water, Would Fluctuations in Global

question 79

Multiple Choice

If Earth's oceans were fresh water, would fluctuations in global temperatures be more or less pronounced?

• A)If the oceans were fresh water, fluctuations in global temperatures would be much more pronounced as can be witnessed by the melting of the polar ice caps to fresh water.
• B)If the oceans were fresh water, the oceans' specific heats would be greater and this would help towards moderating global temperatures.
• C)Fluctuations in global temperatures are not dependent on the ocean being salt water rather than fresh water.
• D)If the oceans were fresh water, both their densities and specific heats would decrease, thus having a more pronounced effect on fluctuations in global temperatures.

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Definitions:

Genotypic Frequencies

The proportion of different genotypes in a population, which can change over time due to evolutionary processes.

Nonevolving Population

A theoretical population in which allele frequencies do not change over time, effectively not undergoing evolution.

Speciation

Origin of new species due to the evolutionary process of descent with modification.

Genetic Drift

A mechanism of evolution that involves random changes in the frequency of alleles within a population over time.