OCE Chp 1

Earth has three compositionally distinct layers—the crust, mantle, and core. The core has separate inner and outer sections that are physically different. For the following physical and compositional properties, sort each item into the bins for the layer of Earth that they best characterize. Drag the appropriate items to their respective bins.

(crust) -part of this layer has a relatively homogeneous composition, while the other part is less uniform in composition -is Earth's stiff, rigid, rocky shell (mantle) -contains rock rich in magnesium and iron. -contains a weak layer below the lithosphere (core) -contains a liquid outer layer and a solid inner layer -contains iron and nickel

Rank the blocks from highest downward pressure to lowest downward pressure.

(highest) cont. crust 87 km d:2750 cont. crust 42 km d:2825 cont. crust 35 km d:2750 ocean crust 7 km d:2900 ocean crust 7 km d:2825 (lowest)

Rank the four principle oceans from smallest to largest, in terms of size.

(small)Arctic, Indian, Atlantic, Pacific

Look at the figures below and determine whether the geologic processes will cause the crust to subside or uplift.

(uplifting) -erosion -stress (subsidence/thinning) -snowy mont. -rift valley

Which of the following statements is/are true regarding Earth's oceans?

-Earth's ocean is one big interconnected body of water. -The Southern Ocean is one of the least-studied areas on planet Earth. -NASA satellites fly over Antarctica.

Which of the following contributed to the salinity of the ocean?

-Runoff caused dissolved elements to enter the ocean. -The creation of acid rain from volcanic outgassing. -Chlorine gas from the atmosphere was dissolved in the water.

Which of the following ideas support our current scientific understanding of the development of life on Earth?

-The "prebiotic soup" of the primitive oceans provided favorable conditions for life to develop. -As life evolved it significantly changed Earth's environment. -Early organisms evolved into more complex organisms over geologic time. Primitive life likely existed without the need for oxygen.

Which of the following statements is/are true regarding the scientific method?

-The scientific method involves repeated testing and adjustment of hypotheses to explain observations. -Scientists make predictions based on established theories. -The scientific method is an ongoing cycle.

Imagine that you are enjoying a day at the beach in California, exploring tidepools. You find a California Sea Hare in the shallow water and gently scoop it into your hand, as shown in the figure above. As you touch it, the sea hare releases purple ink into your hand. You think maybe the sea hare released the ink to scare you (a potential predator) away, but you are not sure. What steps of the scientific method have you performed in your inquiry?

-hypothesis -observation

A container holds 100 atoms of an isotope. This isotope has a half-life of 1.5 months. How many total atoms will be in the container after 3 months?

100 atoms

Oxygen comprises about ________ percent of the Earth's present atmosphere.

20

A container holds 100 atoms of an isotope. This isotope has a half-life of 1.5 months. How many atoms of the radioactive isotope will be in the container after 3 months?

25 atoms

The average depth of the world's oceans is approximately ________.

3,682 meters (12,080 feet)

The oceans cover approximately ________ percent of the Earth's surface.

70

Which of the following statements about the Pacific Ocean is TRUE?

All of the continents could fit into the space occupied by the Pacific Ocean.

The great oxidation event resulted in the massive die-off of which of the following?

Anaerobic bacteria

_________ were the dominant navigators of the Mediterranean Sea in the Middle Ages.

Arabs

Which layer of the Earth behaves in a plastic manner?

Asthenosphere

Waters from which ocean basins combine to form the Southern Ocean?

Atlantic Pacific Indian

Consider an interdisciplinary study that is aimed at understanding how ocean currents affect the distribution of coral larvae. What two disciplines of oceanography would the researchers be focused on?

Biological and physical oceanography

Who of the following is thought to be the first Viking to have seen what is now called Newfoundland?

Bjarni Herjolfsson

Trilobites were dominant during which geologic period?

Cambrian

_________ was an English navigator who determined the outline of the Pacific Ocean and was the first person known to cross the Antarctic Circle.

Captain James Cook

_____________ was an Italian navigator who made a total of four trips across the Atlantic. He was erroneously credited with discovering North America.

Christopher Columbus

Who is credited with being the first person to accurately determine Earth's circumference?

Eratosthenes

__________ used the polar North Star to determine latitude (distance from the equator).

Greeks

During the _________phase, the atmosphere was composed of leftover gases from the nebula. During the _________ phase, the atmosphere was composed of mostly water vapor (steam), small amounts of carbon dioxide, hydrogen, and other gases. During the ________ phase, the atmosphere was composed of increased amounts of atmospheric oxygen, which caused the ozone concentration in the stratosphere to increase.

Initial Early Present

The explorer who advanced oceanography by introducing systematic soundings, or depth measurements, was __________.

James Cook

Who left Spain in September 1519 and became the first person to complete a circumnavigation of the globe when he returned to Spain three years later?

Juan Sebastian del Caño

Which of the following is Earth's rigid layer that includes the crust plus the topmost portion of the mantle?

Lithosphere

How did the view of the ocean by early Mediterranean cultures influence the naming of planet Earth?`

Mediterranean cultures believed Earth was composed of large land masses surrounded by marginal bodies of water.

What does NOAA stand for?

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

The Kuiper Belt is located beyond the orbit of which planet?

Neptune

What are the major steps involved in the process of science?

Observation, hypothesis, testing, and theory

________ are events and phenomena that we can detect with our senses.

Observations

In which period did the first fishes appear?

Ordovician

Which layer of the Earth is composed of a liquid?

Outer core

Which of the following was not abundant in the early atmosphere?

Oxygen

________were some of the first navigators; they used stick charts to navigate the sea.

Pacific Islanders

The largest of the ocean basins, which currently covers more than half of the ocean surface, is the:

Pacific Ocean

Which of the following has the deepest waters?

Pacific Ocean

Which of the following is the largest natural geographic feature on Earth?

Pacific Ocean

What happens during radioactive decay?

Parent isotopes turn into daughter isotopes.

The first recorded circumnavigation of Africa was made by the ________.

Phoenicians

___________ were the first humans from the Western Hemisphere to develop the art of navigation.

Phoenicians

During the ________________, the first organisms with shells developed. The ____________ is characterized by the extinction of 90% of marine life. The _______________ period marks the extinction of dinosaurs and many other species.

Precambrian/Proterozoic Paleozoic/Mesozoic Mesozoic/Cenozoic

Which of the following was true about the Protoearth?

Protoearth's deep structure was homogeneous.

The method of determining latitude in the Northern Hemisphere by measuring the angle between an observer's line of site to the North Star and line of site to the northern horizon was developed by:

Pytheas

Prior to 1768, which of the following claimed the most human lives at sea?

Scurvy

What is the difference between an ocean and a sea?

Seas are smaller and shallower bodies of salt water that are somewhat enclosed by land, but they are directly connected to the world ocean.

What did Stanley Miller's experiment demonstrate?

Stanley Miller's experiment demonstrated that vast amounts of simple organic molecules could have been produced in Earth's early oceans (a "prebiotic soup").

Based on definition, it is more appropriate to consider which ocean as a sea?

The Arctic Ocean

Which of the following statements comparing ocean to land is correct?

The Pacific Ocean covers more of Earth's surface than all the land combined.

The Arctic Ocean

The Southern Ocean

Which of the following is not a sea?

The Yellow Sea

How do the physical properties of the asthenosphere differ from the lithosphere?

The athenosphere is plastic or malleable and capable of slow flow. The lithosphere is a brittle and rigid solid region comprised mosly of basalt and granite.

Which of the following statements about the average depths of the four principle oceans is correct?

The average depths of the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans are very similar, while the depth of the Arctic Ocean is much shallower than the other three.

How are the materials that make up Earth's interior stratified in relation to their densities?

The highest-density materials are concentrated at Earth's core, whereas lower-density materials are located closer to Earth's surface.

Two containers hold the same radioactive isotope. Container A contains 1000 atoms, and container B contains 500 atoms. Which of the following statements about containers A and B is true?

The rate of decay of atoms (half-life) in container B is the same as the rate of decay of atoms (half-life) in container A.

Which statement best describes the origin of Earth's oceans?

The water that fills our oceans was mostly derived from outgassing, with a minor component coming from ice comets.

Which of the following would best describe the principal goal of science? Select only one answer.

To explain the causes and effects of observable natural phenomena

According to the geological time scale, which selection lists the correct order of coexistence, from earliest to latest?

Trilobites and amphibians, insects and dinosaurs, dinosaurs and birds, flowering plants and fishes, humans and reptiles

_________ possessed excellent ships and good navigation skills to actively explore the Atlantic Ocean in the late 10th century.

Vikings

Most of the explorations by northern and western Europeans during the Middle (Dark) Ages were undertaken by:

Vikings of Scandinavia.

What is scurvy?

Vitamin C deficiency

In science, which one of the following would be considered an observation? Select only one answer.

Waves approach the beach at an angle.

What is a scientific theory?

a well-substantiated explanation that is supported by facts, laws, tested hypotheses and logical inferences

An organism's response to environmental changes are called ________.

adaptations

Radioactive materials can sometimes be used to determine the:

ages of rocks.

The nebular hypothesis suggests that ________.

all bodies in the solar system formed from an enormous gas cloud

Which ocean basin is currently covered by extensive sea ice for much of the year?

artic

According to the fossil record on Earth, the earliest-known life-forms were primitive ________.

bacteria

Evidence suggests that the Sun and the rest of the solar system formed about five ________ years ago.

billion

One of the reasons that free oxygen in our atmosphere is important to the development and maintenance of life on Earth is because oxygen:

can form ozone and block some UV radiation.

The separation of the Earth into layers while it was molten was the result of the:

differing densities of the elements that make up the Earth.

Based on physical properties, Earth consists of ________ layers

five

The study of the structure of the sea floor and how the sea floor has changed through time is an example of ________ oceanography.

geological

A cometary model of the formation of Earth's ocean must include the chemical difference between the ________ in comet ice and that in Earth's water.

hydrogen

A tentative, testable statement about the general nature of a phenomenon is called a(n) ________.

hypothesis

Which of the following represents Earth's plates that are involved in plate tectonic motion?

lithosphere

The mechanism by which populations evolve and new species develop is called:

natural selection.

Which is the first step of the scientific method?

observation

The most likely place for the basic building blocks for the development of life to interact and produce life is in Earth's ________.

oceans

Stanley Miller's famous experiment demonstrated that __________.

organic molecules could be produced from the mixture of gases comprising Earth's early atmosphere

The oldest fossilized remains of organisms are primitive ________ bacteria recovered from rocks formed on the sea floor about 3.5 billion years ago.

photosynthetic

The study of the transmission of light and sound in the oceans is an example of ________ oceanography.

physical

Our world ocean can be divided into four principal oceans plus an additional ocean, based on the ________ of the ocean basins and the ________ of the continents.

shape; position

Now, what would be the next step you would need to take to advance your understanding of the sea hare ink response to the next level of scientific inquiry?

testing

What is the scientific definition of half-life?

the amount of time over which the number of parent isotopes decreases by half

Plate tectonics and evolution, which are held with a high degree of confidence because of rigorous testing and verification, are examples of:

theories

Based on chemical composition, Earth consists of ________ layers

three

Current scientific knowledge indicates that the most likely origin of most of Earth's oceans was due to ________.

water vapor released from volcanic outgassing