OCE1010 Test 2 Multiple choice

Polar easterlies

prevailing wind pattern at polar latitudes

Standing waves may be caused by:

wave reflection

The temperate regions are characterized by:

westerly winds.

Ekman transport

net water movement to the left or right of the direction of the wind

How much heat energy is needed to turn 1 gram of water at 0 degrees Celsius into water vapor?

540 calories of heat energy

Warm core rings and cold core rings are associated with __________.

western boundary currents

The average albedo of Earth's surface is about:

30%

Which of the following is true of surface water circulation near Antarctica?

Two circumpolar currents dominate it, one current that moves water to the east and one current that moves water to the west.

When would you expect the low-pressure cell over the North Pole to be most developed?

during the Northern Hemisphere winter

Which is the most abundant ion in seawater?

Chloride

In the eastern Pacific of the Northern Hemisphere, which ocean temperatures are associated with the most hurricanes?

27° to 29° Celsius

The average salinity of typical seawater is:

3.5%.

The density of pure water reaches its maximum density, or plateaus, at an approximate temperature of __________.

4ºC

How many wind and pressure systems are contained within Earth's atmosphere?

7

To produce a surface current of 1.6 knots in the open ocean, a steady wind of _____ knots would be required.

80 (1.6 knots is 2% of 80 knots)

How much heat energy is needed to melt 1 gram of ice?

80 calories of heat energy

When will reflection and refraction occur simultaneously?

A wave will reflect and refract when it encounters a boundary between two layers of different velocity

Which continent has the highest ratio of available fresh water to population size

Australia

Which body of water is shown with the highest percentage of coastal pollution?

Baltic Sea

Why does wind between the equator and 30 degrees south come out of the southeast?

Cooled air moves north toward the equator and is deflected toward the west by the Coriolis effect.`

The apparent deflection of air masses to the right or left (depending on latitude) as they move from one latitude to another is called the:

Coriolis effect

What is the Walker Circulation Cell?

It is the path that air takes as it moves from high to low pressure, and back to high pressure, in the South Pacific under normal conditions

A beaker contains a mixture of ice and pure liquid water at 0oC. What happens to the temperature of the liquid water as heat is added?

It remains constant until the ice melts, and then it begins to rise.

Which continents currently have sufficient water to meet the needs of their populations?

North America, South America, Africa, and Australia

How are rain patterns different near warm and cold fronts?

Rain near a cold front occurs over a smaller spatial area and is more intense than near a warm front.

How are seawater and pure water similar? How are they different?

Seawater and pure water are similar in that they are clear (transparent) and blue/green in color. They are different in that seawater tends to have a higher pH, higher density, lower freezing point, and a higher boiling point than pure water.

Which of the following are names for large ocean waves that can be created by constructive interference?

Superwaves, Rogue waves, Freak waves

The density (mass per volume) of most liquids increases as the __________ is lowered.

Temperature

How does the location of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) change over time?

The ITCZ migrates south of the equator in Northern Hemisphere winter and north of the equator in Northern Hemisphere summer.

Describe what condition exists in water molecules to make them dipolar

The bent geometry makes oxygen side slighlty negative and hydrogen side partially positive

Which of the following statements best describes the general relationship between ocean currents and hurricanes?

Warm ocean currents and hurricane paths both broadly move from east to west between 10° and 20° degrees north latitude in the eastern Pacific

Based on the equations for determining the speed of shallow-water waves, which one of the following variables is necessary to determine the speed of shallow-water waves?

Water depth

When will perfect destructive interference occur?

When two waves that are 180 degrees out-of-phase interfere

Why does upwelling occur along the west coast of South America under normal conditions?

Winds moving westward in the South Pacific drive ocean currents toward the west; deep water rises to replace water driven westward.

What is an end moraine?

a ridge of debris deposited at the end of a glacier

During a strong El Niño event, the news media might be expected to cover __________.

a tropical cyclone in Hawaii or Tahiti

The percentage of solar radiation reflected from the surface of Earth back into space is known as the __________.

albedo

An internal wave might form:

at a density boundary within the ocean.

The amount of energy that is necessary to raise the temperature of one gram of water by one degree C is the definition of:

calorie

Which of the following temperature and humidity conditions are most likely to be experienced in eastern Iowa after the cold front passes?

cold and dry

Earth's polar regions (above 60° latitude) are classified as deserts because __________

cold, dry sinking air in the polar high regions produces little precipitation

A zone of high atmospheric pressure results when there is relatively __________ air aloft.

cool, dry

Low-pressure regions in the northern hemisphere rotate:

counterclockwise.

Which direction do ocean currents in the South Pacific move under El Niño conditions?

eastward

Ocean frontal systems that spin off from currents such as the Gulf Stream, akin to atmospheric storms, are known as __________.

eddies

We would expect the salinity of surface waters to be higher in regions where __________.

evaporation is much greater than precipitation

The height of a wave depends upon:

fetch, wind duration, and wind speed.

Geostrophic circulation within a gyre driven by:

gravity and the Coriolis effect.

area of rapid change in salinity with slight change in depth

halocline

What drives Hadley cell circulation?

heating from the Sun

The density of seawater is slightly ______ than the density pure water.

higher

Where are Hadley cells found?

in the atmosphere near the equator

A disadvantage shared by wave, solar and wind energy is that __________

it is not available on demand, and there currently is no viable way to store the energy

The latent heat of vaporization of water is ______ than the latent heat of melting.

larger

What do we call the energy used to melt ice once the ice becomes water

latent heat of water

Tropic of Cancer

located at 23.5° N latitude

Fluctuations in the flow of the Gulf Stream current result in curving loops of water known as __________.

meanders

Waves that are breaking along the shore and are forming a curling crest over an air pocket are called:

plunging breakers

Submarines sometimes ride out heavy storms in deep water by submerging. That is a practical application of utilizing the ____________________.

principle of decreasing orbital motion with depth

The Sun reaches its most northerly point in the sky, directly overhead along the Tropic of Cancer, during the:

summer solstice.

The two factors that are most important in determining the density of air are:

temperature and water vapor content.

disturbing force

the energy that causes ocean waves to form

primary difficulty that must be overcome in the use of desalination plants to provide fresh water is __________.

the high cost of energy involved

The thickness of sea ice is limited primarily by __________.

the insulating nature of the ice itself

The El Niño Southern Oscillation can best be described as:

the relationship between sea surface temperature and changing atmospheric pressure.

A rapid change in ocean temperature with a change in depth occurs in the:

thermocline

How would a moving object in Earth's atmosphere be deflected as a result of Earth's rotation?

to the right in the Northern Hemisphere, and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere

The wind belt(s) with strong, reliable, generally easterly winds is (are) the:

trade winds.

Waves converge on headlands due to:

wave refraction

The speed of a deep-water wave is proportional to:

wave speed or celerity

Waves usually arrive nearly parallel to the shore because ___________

waves are refracted toward shallow water

The largest wind-generated waves tend to be associated with the:

westerlies