Oceanography Chapter 7: Ocean Structure and Circulation

Which of the following are characteristics of the Arctic Ocean? (Mark all that apply.) Multiple select question. 1. About one-third of its area is covered by extensive continental shelves. 2. The density of the Arctic Ocean water is controlled more by temperature than by salinity. 3. The surface water has a relatively high salinity compared to other oceans. 4. Two basins, the Eurasian and the Canadian, occupy the central portion of the ocean.

1. About one-third of its area is covered by extensive continental shelves. 4. Two basins, the Eurasian and the Canadian, occupy the central portion of the ocean.

Which of the following influence the depth of the mixing layer? (Mark all that apply.) Multiple select question. 1. The amount of turbulence caused by wind 2. The amount of precipitation 3. The amount of turbulence caused by waves 4. The amount of sunlight hitting the water's surface

1. The amount of turbulence caused by wind 3. The amount of turbulence caused by waves

Which of the following characteristics are true of the Pacific Ocean? (Mark all that apply.) Multiple select question. 1. Cold, relatively fresh surface water occurs at subtropical latitudes. 2. There is no large source of deep water similar to that found in the North Atlantic. 3. The circulation pattern of the Pacific Ocean is the fastest of all the oceans. 4. The deeper water of the South Pacific Ocean is the water of the Antarctic circumpolar flow.

2. There is no large source of deep water similar to that found in the North Atlantic. 4. The deeper water of the South Pacific Ocean is the water of the Antarctic circumpolar flow.

The total salinity range of 75% of the ocean is between ______.

34.5 and 35.0 parts per thousand (ppt)

Match the term to its correct definition. A water type A water mass

A water type ↔ Water samples that plot very near each other on a temperature-salinity diagram, possessing values within a narrow temperature and salinity range A water mass ↔ A large body of water that has similar values of temperature and salinity throughout it

______ water moves slowly ______ through the South Atlantic ocean basins west of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, but the ______ water sinks and moves ______ along the east side of the Atlantic.

Antarctic bottom; north; North Atlantic deep; south

The ______ Ocean is covered by extensive continental shelves and is made up of two basins, the Eurasian to the east and the Canadian to the west.

Arctic

Mark only the gyre currents of the North Pacific. Multiple select question. Peru Current California Current Alaska Current North Equatorial Current East Australia Current North Pacific Current

California Current Alaska Current North Equatorial Current North Pacific Current

Which of the following contribute significantly to the internal mixing of the ocean's water masses? (Mark all that apply.) Multiple select question. Boat traffic Diffusion Currents Wind-driven waves Tides

Currents Wind-driven waves Tides

Match the zone to its correct characteristics. Downwelling zone Upwelling zone

Downwelling zone ↔ Known for containing oxygen-rich water Upwelling zone ↔ Known for containing low oxygen-content, nutrient-rich water

Match the correct latitude with the characteristics for the temperature-verses-depth profile for that zone.

High latitudes ↔ There is no permanent thermocline; however, weak seasonal thermoclines can develop in the summer. Mid-latitudes ↔ Significant seasonal variation occurs here in the temperature-versus-depth profile. Low latitudes ↔ There is no development of a seasonal thermocline, and the three temperature layers are quite stable.

Match the temperature-versus-depth profile figures to the correct zone. a b c

Image (a) ↔ Mid-latitudes Image (b) ↔ Low latitudes Image (c) ↔ High latitudes

Which of the following factors drive ocean surface currents? (Select all that apply.) Multiple select question. Internal inertia Wind Coriolis effect Salinity differences

Internal inertia Wind Coriolis effect

Match the ocean temperature layer to its correct characteristics. Mixed layer Thermocline

Mixed layer ↔ A surface layer tens to a few hundred meters thick Thermocline ↔ Extends from below a few hundred meters to a depth of about 1000 m

Match the water mass of the Atlantic Ocean with its correct characteristics. North Atlantic deep water Antarctic bottom water Mediterranean intermediate water

North Atlantic deep water ↔ This water sinks and moves southward from the Norwegian Sea along the east side of the Atlantic. Antarctic bottom water ↔ This water mass is the densest water in the ocean and sinks to the ocean floor. It moves slowly northward through the deep South Atlantic ocean basins west of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Mediterranean intermediate water ↔ This water possesses an intermediate water density and flows out of the Strait of Gibraltar for about 1500 miles before being lost through modification and mixing.

Mark all of the major Pacific Ocean surface currents. Multiple select question. North Equatorial Current East Greenland Current Kuroshio Current California Current West Australian

North Equatorial Current Kuroshio Current California Current

The Oyashio Current, Alaska Current, and Humbolt Current are all found in the ______ Ocean.

Pacific

The ________ Ocean has very sluggish deep-water flows with conditions below 6600 ft being very uniform, and its residence time for deep water is about twice that of deep water in the Atlantic.

Pacific

Mark only the gyre currents of the South Pacific. Multiple select question. Peru Current South Equatorial Current Kuroshio Current Alaska Current East Australian Current

Peru Current South Equatorial Current East Australian Current

Match the water column type to the correct definition. Stable water column Unstable water column

Stable water column ↔ A column of water where the density increases with depth Unstable water column ↔ A column of water that consists of higher-density water on top of lower-density water

Match the term to the correct example. Surface-water convergence Surface-water divergence

Surface-water convergence ↔ Strong winds blow surface waters up against a rocky coastline Surface-water divergence ↔ Inland winds blow surface waters away from a coast

What does the figure indicate about the pycnocline layer?

The pycnocline is a layer where density increases rapidly with depth.

Each layer of the ocean receives its characteristic salinity, temperature, and density ______.

at the surface

When surface waters are driven together by the wind or up against a coast, a surface-water ________ is formed, but when the wind blows surface waters away from an area or a coast, a surface-water ________ occurs and water upwells from below.

convergence; divergence

Movement of water through the entire Great Ocean Conveyor Belt ______.

could take as long as 1000 years or more

In general, the temperature of seawater ______ with depth.

decreases

Layers of ocean water are associated with ______.

depth zones: surface, intermediate, deep, and bottom

Because salinity is ______ to density, but temperature is ______ to density, a variety of combinations of salinity and temperature can produce the same density in water.

directly proportional; inversely proportional

The Equatorial Countercurrent is ______ because of the unequal heating of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.

displaced 5° north of the equator

Areas of thermohaline circulation where water sinks are called ________ zones and areas of rising waters are called ________ zones.

downwelling; upwelling

The mixing layer is often thicker in the open ocean than in protected coastal waters because ______.

in the open ocean, there is more turbulence of water caused by waves and wind

A shallow mixed layer with relatively constant density overlies the pycnocline layer, where density ______ rapidly with depth.

increases

As seawater temperature decreases, the density of seawater ______.

increases

Seawater density is ______ to temperature and ______ to salinity.

inversely proportional; directly proportional

In general, a water ______ refers to a larger body of water than that defined as a water ______, but both show similar values of temperature and salinity.

mass; type

The total _________ range of 75% of the ocean is between 34.5 and 35.0 parts per thousand (ppt).

salinity

The density of seawater is directly related to _______ and inversely related to ________; different combinations of these qualities could mean that two distinct bodies of water have the same density.

salinity; temperature

Vertical columnar flows, approximately 5 inches in diameter, called ______, develop and mix water vertically, causing a stair-step salinity and temperature change with depth.

salt fingers

If the density of water increases with depth, the water column from the surface to that depth is ______. If there is higher-density water on top of lower-density water, the water column is ______.

stable; unstable

Ocean ______ is(are) influenced by wind, atmospheric circulation, and Earth's rotation.

surface currents

Thermohaline circulation is a motion, or flow, of ocean water caused by variations in density due to differences in ________ and ________.

temperature; salinity

The Great Ocean Conveyor Belt describes ______.

the mass movement of warm and cold water in a vertical circulation pattern in the ocean

In the ocean, the greatest amount of heat from incoming solar radiation would transfer to ______.

the top 10 cm of the surface

A rapid decrease in water temperature occurs within the ______ layer in the water column.

thermocline

The motion, or flow, of water in the ocean resulting from variations in water density is called ______.

thermohaline circulation Reason: Thermo relates to temperature, and haline relates to salinity. Both temperature and salinity affect water density.

In the Pacific Ocean, the ______ move water away from Central and South America and pile it up against Asia, whereas the ______ move the water away from Asia and push it against the west coast of North America.

trade winds; westerlies

In the Pacific Ocean, the ________ winds move water away from Central and South America and pile it up against Asia, whereas the ________ move the water away from Asia and push it against the west coast of North America.

trade; westerlies

The equatorial countercurrents are located on either side of 5° N, in the doldrums belt, as a result of ______.

unequal heating of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres