Question

A marine scientist observes that dissolved oxygen decreases with increasing ocean depth. he concludes that deep sea creatures must require less oxygen than those at shallower depths. why is this an invalid scientific conclusion?

Answer 1

The conclusion that deep sea creatures require less oxygen than creatures at shallower depths is invalid because it does not consider other factors affecting oxygen levels. Decrease in dissolved oxygen with increasing depth is primarily due to temperature, pressure, and nutrient availability, not oxygen requirements. Deep sea creatures have adaptations to low oxygen environments, but this does not mean they require less oxygen.

Step-by-step explanation:

The marine scientist's conclusion that deep sea creatures must require less oxygen than those at shallower depths is an invalid scientific conclusion because it does not take into account other factors that may be affecting the levels of dissolved oxygen at different depths. The decrease in dissolved oxygen with increasing depth is primarily due to factors such as temperature, pressure, and nutrient availability, rather than the oxygen requirements of the organisms themselves. Deep sea creatures have evolved various adaptations to survive in low oxygen environments, but this does not mean they require less oxygen than creatures in shallower depths.

Answer 2

The dark, cold waters of much of the deep sea have adequate oxygen. This is because cold water can dissolve more oxygen than warm water, and the deepest waters generally originate from shallow polar seas. In certain places in the northern and southern seas, oxygen-rich waters cool off so much that they become dense enough to sink to the bottom of the sea.