Oceanography Final Exam

Seaweeds are benthic algae that are held in place by ________.

"Holdfast" organ

In salt wedge estuaries, how does the fresh water flow out to sea?

Rapidly in the upper layer near the water surface

Which is NOT correct about sharks? - sharks can bear live young - sharks have swim bladder - sharks can produce electric fields in their body - sharks have skeletons of cartilage rather than bones

Sharks have swim bladder

The frustule or cell wall of a diatom is impregnated with

Silica

What kind of sediment is mostly found along the mid-ocean ridge?

Siliceous

What is the half-life of isotope?

Time over which one-half of the atoms of a radioactive isotope decay

Which of the following marine environments has the highest gross primary productivity (average), in general? - estuaries - open ocean - coastal ocean - upwelling zones

Upwelling zones

Which can survive even when it is not completely submersed under the water?

Mangrove

Which is an example of the Secondary Coasts?

Mangrove coasts

Nudibranchs are beautiful, graceful, and colorful sea slugs which have few predators because they

Produce poisonous secretions

In the Northern Hemisphere, the Ekman transport in the ocean moves ___________.

90 degrees to the right of the wind direction

The production of a wave requires ___________________.

A disturbing or generating force

We can learn the past climate history from ice core records retrieved from Greenland or Antarctic. What is a typical natural fluctuation range of the CO2 concentration in the atmosphere during the past 400,000 years?

180-280 ppm

Maximum surplus of solar radiation (that is largest received minus lost) occurs at

20S-20N latitude band

What is the temperature of maximum density of pure water?

3.98 degree C

Along which latitude band, surface ocean salinity is highest, in general?

30 degree N

Photosynthetic plant life is restricted to the

Euphotic zone

Which is true? - Oceanic tricorder is a device to quickly scan particular acoustic (sound) signals from plankton - Harmful Algal Blooms occur when microscopic plants in water drastically decrease their population - The full cycle of harmful algal blooms are now accurately understood and can be predicted precisely - A new fiber optic biosensors can detect particular molecules released from certain algaes

A new fiber optic biosensors can detect particular molecules released from certain algaes

Which is true? - Newly developed oil dispersant is effective in skimming spilled oil - A newly-developed oil skimming net is made with lotus leaves - A newly-developed stainless steel wire net with silica and polymer coating can skim oil while letting water pass - A newly-developed stainless steel wire net with silica and polymer coating can skim water while letting oil pass

A newly-developed stainless steel wire net with silica and polymer coating can skim oil while letting water pass

What is a whale fall?

A whale carcass

Which is NOT a way that waves travel in the shallow water? - reflection - absorption - diffraction - refraction

Absorption

Which is false? - Jellyfish can be found on all coastlines from the arctic to the tropics. - All jellyfish have brains and stomachs but no bones and ears. - Jellyfish bodies are 95% water. - The tentacles of various jellyfish can range in stretching length from about one inch to 130 feet.

All jellyfish have brains and stomachs but no bones and ears.

The densest water mass in the world ocean is ________________.

Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW)

Which is false? - The people of Polynesia were master navigators, and they even used ripples on the ocean to find their way across the South Pacific Ocean. - Although the normal winds in the Pacific would have been blowing against them, the prevailing winds might have switched directions for decades at a time during the years 800 to 1600. - Around the year 1200, they began sailing even farther — to New Zealand, and to Mauritius Island in the Indian Ocean. - A temporary change in climate could cause a development of human exploration for Polynesians in a new direction based on the evidences from tree rings, ocean sediments, and other factors.

Around the year 1200, they began sailing even farther — to New Zealand, and to Mauritius Island in the Indian Ocean.

Which statement is most CORRECT about the annual orbit of the Earth around the Sun? - Least insolation in N. Hemisphere occurs at Summer solstice - 23.5 degree N is called Tropic of Capricorn - Winter solstice occurs when Earth is farthest from Sun - At Summer solstice, the Sun stands above 23.5 degree N

At Summer solstice, the Sun stands above 23.5 degree N

What was the route of the voyage of Charles Darwin and the HMS Beagle in 1831-1836?

Atlantic Ocean to Pacific Ocean to Indian Ocean to Atlantic Ocean

Which is true? - A small sac hangs over the angler fish's head is filled with toxin - Female anglerfish live as a small parasite of male anglerfish - Bacteria living inside the anglerfish esca emit bioluminescent light - Male anglerfish has a powerful night vision to prey in darkness

Bacteria living inside the anglerfish esca emit bioluminescent light

A major cause for transporting biological invaders to coastal ecosystems is

Ballast water in ships

What is the name of the process in the ocean that draws atmospheric CO2 into the ocean (esp. deep ocean) through biological process?

Biological pump

Which is true? - Bluefin tuna is cold-blooded like all other fish species - Due to its large energy demand, bluefin tuna generally swims at slow speed - Bluefin tuna can swim fast by keeping its body streamlined and by flexing only tail instead of its whole body - The Atlantic bluefin tuna can grow up to a size of a blue whale

Bluefin tuna can swim fast by keeping its body streamlined and by flexing only tail instead of its whole body

Which is NOT one of the major carbon species present in equilibrium when atmospheric CO2 dissolves in seawater? - H2CO3 (carbonic acid) - HCO3- (bicarbonate) - CO32- (carbonate) - CO (carbon monoxide)

CO (carbon monoxide)

Which expedition was designed and launched to answer some fundamental questions about the ocean such as how deep is the sea, what is the salinity of the oceans, is the ocean water chemistry constant, what was its extent on the ocean floor, etc?

Challenger

Which is true? - Regular tidal flooding sweep off the food resources from tide pools - Clams and other mollusks are not very mobile so they live in the tide pools all the time - Shrimps are not mobile and their presence in tide pools are greatly affected by tides - Many land-based mammals dive in tide pools to hunt

Clams and other mollusks are not very mobile so they live in the tide pools all the time

Along the eastern seaboard of the U.S. toward the North Atlantic Ocean, the Gulf Stream flows to the north. The Gulf Stream would migrate along its path creating numerous spirals (eddies) of water bodies on both sides (i.e. warm core ring (water) or cold core ring (water). Which is NOT a correct description for those eddies in the Gulf Stream area? - warm core ring (water) presents on the colder side (north) of the Gulf Stream - cold core ring (water) presents on the warmer side (south) of the Gulf Stream - warm core rings spin clockwise - cold core rings spin anticyclonic direction

Cold core rings spin anticyclonic direction

Which is true? - The giant waves observed at Nazaré, Portugal usually occur in far offshore areas where water is fairly deep - Combination of winter storm, shallower depths in coastal zone and narrow submarine canyon create giant waves at Nazaré, Portugal - The giant waves at Nazaré, Portugal are exclusively produced by strong winter storms - Nazaré, Portugal is famous for sea kayaking competition

Combination of winter storm, shallower depths in coastal zone and narrow submarine canyon create giant waves at Nazaré, Portugal

Many marine organisms maintain symbioses with other organisms to sustain their lives in the ocean. Which one best describes the relation that one partner benefits from the relationship and the other is unaffected?

Commensalism

What happens to DDT (an organic pollutant) concentrations as this pesticide gets passed up the food chain?

Concentrations increase as the contaminant moves up the food chain

When geostrophic flow is achieved, the _____ force is balanced by the ____.

Coriolis / outward pressure force (gravity)

Which is true? - Current warming trend in the ocean can lead to a reduction in fish populations - The warmer the water, the more oxygen is in the water - Active fish species that chase prey at high speeds have their overall body size increased recently - Overfishing is a sole cause of recent shrinking in size of fishes in the ocean

Current warming trend in the ocean can lead to a reduction in fish populations

Which is NOT correct about tides? - A tidal day is longer than 24 hours (solar day). - A tidal wave has a long wavelength compared to the ocean's depth, and it behaves like a shallow-water wave. - Declination angle of Moon from Earth's Equatorial plane causes semidiurnal tides on high- and low-latitude regions. - Corresponding tide arrive at any location about one hour later each day is due to a tidal day.

Declination angle of Moon from Earth's Equatorial plane causes semidiurnal tides on high- and low-latitude regions.

Chesapeake Bay is a _______?

Drowned river valley

At which location we can find the fastest spreading of the seafloor?

Eastern South Pacific Ocean

What is the 1925-1927 German Meteor Expedition best known for?

Echo Sounder

Which is false? - Most fish living in cold deep water lose their body heat to the water - The Moonfish can generate extra body heat even in cold deep water - Fat layers around important body parts protect Opah from losing excessive heat - Exchange of heat through a network of blood vessels in the gill help Opah to dissipate excess heat to water

Exchange of heat through a network of blood vessels in the gill help Opah to dissipate excess heat to water

Which is true? - On Earth, warm water spreads toward the equator at the surface - If the oceans can be much more salty or less salty than the current condition of the Earth, water may travel to the poles at surface - On Earth, circulation of water to the poles at depth and rising toward the surface at equator allow an expanded habitable zone - Flipped ocean circulation pattern due to a drastically different salt content, compared to that of the Earth, may make a planet more habitable

Flipped ocean circulation pattern due to a drastically different salt content, compared to that of the Earth, may make a planet more habitable

Which oceanographic feature that Franklin and Folger described in their historic map in the Atlantic Ocean in 1769?

Gulf Stream

Where would you expect the thickest marine sediment in the ocean?

Gulf of Mexico

Which "hot spot" location is NOT associated with plate boundaries? - Easter Island - Ascension - Hawaii - Iceland

Hawaii

The term for animals that spend their entire lives as plankton is

Holoplankton

Which is false? - The earliest sailors were guided by the coastline, Sun's position, and even by ocean currents. - When early sailors and explorers crossed the oceans, they were guided by the celestial bodies in the sky. - If the North Star was 30 degrees above the horizon, the ship was at 30 degrees south latitude. - An accurate way of determining the longitude in the ocean came in place in the 18th century, when highly accurate clocks finally became available

If the North Star was 30 degrees above the horizon, the ship was at 30 degrees south latitude.

Which is false? - The deep-sea microphones allow scientists to learn about marine life and earthquakes - Increasing level of natural sounds in the ocean are challenging the survival of many marine organisms in the deep oceans - Monitoring sounds in the ocean showed that there are many sperm whales living in the Mediterranean Sea near Italy - The ocean sounds are useful in studying behavior and migration pattern of whales

Increasing level of natural sounds in the ocean are challenging the survival of many marine organisms in the deep oceans

Which is true? - Initial production of ancient oxygen was thought to be combined with iron to produce iron oxide hence removed from water column - Oxygen was produced and spread in the Earth by the predator species of cyanobacteria - Ancient cyanobacteria were able to produce oxygen on land and it finally dissolved into the ocean - Ancient cyanobacteria produced large quantity of iron from three billion years ago

Initial production of ancient oxygen was thought to be combined with iron to produce iron oxide hence removed from water column

Which is NOT part of top 6 major ions in seawater? - sodium - chloride - magnesium - sulfate - iron

Iron

Which is CORRECT description about salmon? - they are catadromous fish - they migrate to open ocean to spawn - they spend adult life in estuaries and rivers - juveniles migrate down the river to mature in the open ocean

Juveniles migrate down the river to mature in the open ocean

When 1 g of water vapor (gas) condenses to the liquid water, about 540 calories of heat is liberated. What is the name of this heat?

Latent heat of vaporization

The Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone is characterized by

Low levels of oxygen

Which is true? - Magnetic field in the ocean crust reflects the alignment of Earth's magnetic field when the crust was newly formed and cooled. - The 340 million years old ocean crust was recently found at the bottom of the northern Gulf of Mexico. - In general, the oldest ocean crust is less than 200 million years old and that is older than most of the continental crust. - As new crust is formed in the ocean, older crust is folded back into the mid-ocean ridge system.

Magnetic field in the ocean crust reflects the alignment of Earth's magnetic field when the crust was newly formed and cooled.

Which is NOT correct about marine mammals? - marine mammals are poikilotherms - some marine mammals can collapse their lungs during a dive - higher content of myoglobin in blood helps marine mammals regulate oxygen concentrations - marine mammals can make dives of great depths and duration

Marine mammals are poikilotherms

Which is false? - The name of the Agulhas Current came from the fact that true north and magnetic north perfectly align at this area. - The treacherous winds blowing against the current can create monster waves that can sink even very big ships in this region. - Eddies carrying warm waters from this current may break off as they enter the South Atlantic Ocean, and the Agulhas Current may affect the strength of the Gulf Stream. - Millions of sardines follow the Agulhas Current to colder waters during each austral fall/winter season.

Millions of sardines follow the Agulhas Current to colder waters during each austral fall/winter season.

Earth's climate changes gradually - by natural cause - on very long time scales due to changes in Earth's orbit and other factors. Which one is NOT directly related to the Earth's orbital change? - Axial precession - Obliquity - Modifications to ocean circulation due to plate tectonics - Eccentricity

Modifications to ocean circulation due to plate tectonics

Which is false? - A female mola mola can produce up to 300 million eggs at a time - Mola mola has an unusually large jaws and mouth to grab and engulf the preys - Mola molas inhabit warm and temperate waters around the world - Mola mola often basks at the surface so birds may pick the parasites from their skin

Mola mola has an unusually large jaws and mouth to grab and engulf the preys

Which is false? - The largest concentration of plastic trash occurs in the Eastern Pacific and this region is known as "The Great Pacific Garbage Patch" - Birds can starve because their stomachs are filled with indigestible plastic - Most plastic in the sea comes from processes associated with oil rigs - Sea turtles can mistake floating plastic bags for jelly fish

Most plastic in the sea comes from processes associated with oil rigs

Which is the NOT one of the top 6 major dissolved elements in river water? - bicarbonate - nitrate - calcium - sulfate

Nitrate

Which is MOST correct about the Earth's heat budget - Incoming shortwave radiation into the Earth's atmosphere and outgoing radiation are not balanced. - Out of incoming shortwave radiation, about 70% would exit the atmosphere as long-wave infrared radiation - Out of incoming shortwave radiation, most part is reflected back to the space - Most of the heat from incoming radiation absorbed by water and land is released to the atmosphere as sensible heat

Out of incoming shortwave radiation, about 70% would exit the atmosphere as long-wave infrared radiation

Which is NOT one of the significant greenhouse gases of which concentrations have dramatically increased in the atmosphere during the past several decades? - Carbon dioxide - Nitrous oxide - Methane - Ozone

Ozone

Based on spatial dimensions of individual ocean basins, which ocean basin has the largest surface area?

Pacific Ocean

Where is the 'international date line'?

Pacific Ocean

Which of the following statements about wetlands is FALSE? - wetlands border estuaries - photosynthesis by wetland plants lowers oxygen levels in shallow coastal waters - wetlands provide nutrients, food, shelter, and spawning areas for commercially important organisms - loss of wetlands is a major problem for Louisiana and other regions

Photosynthesis by wetland plants lowers oxygen levels in shallow coastal waters

In the nitrogen cycle, inorganic forms of nitrogen (e.g. ammonium or nitrate) are converted to biomass N by

Primary producers

Which is a swimming marine invertebrate? - sea snake - anchovy - squid - angler fish

Squid

What is the name of the ancient sea that closed off by the movement of various continents within the past 100-150 million years?

Tethys Sea

Which is false? - The state with the longest coastline in the US is Alaska - The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration measures the coastline in two different methods - The "general" coastline is generally longer than "tidal" shoreline - The "tidal" shoreline includes all the detailed contours of capes, bays and estuaries

The "general" coastline is generally longer than "tidal" shoreline

Which is true? - Earthquakes are very common on the continents but not on the ocean floor - A landslide occurred near the coast of Norway about 8,000 years ago caused huge landslide in Texas - The 1929 earthquake occurred south of Newfoundland triggered a huge landslide underwater creating a tsunami - The thick sediments piled on the continental shelf along the coast of Virgina and North Carolina was formed by the 1929 earthquake near Newfoundland

The 1929 earthquake occurred south of Newfoundland triggered a huge landslide underwater creating a tsunami

Which is false? - The Mariana Arc is a National Wildlife Refuge where we can find many new species of endangered animals of the coastal ocean environment - The Mariana Arc includes many underwater volcanic mountains in the Pacific Ocean - One plate is plunging below the other creating the deep Mariana Trench - Recent expeditions confirmed that some of these seamounts are active with features like stream of liquid carbon dioxide and pools of liquid sulfur

The Mariana Arc is a National Wildlife Refuge where we can find many new species of endangered animals of the coastal ocean environment

Which is MOST correct about the layers of the atmosphere? - Troposphere is above stratosphere - Temperature decrease with rising altitude in stratosphere - The bottom layer is warmer than upper layer in troposphere - About 99% of the mass of the atmosphere is above a height of 30km

The bottom layer is warmer than upper layer in troposphere

Which is true? - The great famine in 1876-1878 was recorded in the tree rings with exceptionally thick rings. - The El Nino effect is limited to the U.S. most of the time. - The climate records indicate that the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans were warmer than usual during 1876-1878 possibly due to El Nino. - Probably more than 50 million people died in China, Brazil, India, and Africa during 1876-1878 due to floods caused by El Nino.

The climate records indicate that the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans were warmer than usual during 1876-1878 possibly due to El Nino.

Which is true? - The cooler and denser water north of Denmark Strait can sink to the deeper depth and flow to the south - The deep underwater waterfall in the Denmark Strait pours huge amount of warm and salty water to the north across a ridge. - The underwater waterfall in the Denmark Strait is the second largest waterfall in the world - A warm surface currents flow southward between Greenland and Iceland

The cooler and denser water north of Denmark Strait can sink to the deeper depth and flow to the south

Breakwaters and jetties are built to protect harbors and coastal areas from _______?

The force of waves

Which is true? - Increasing level of Antarctic glaciers will substantially slow down the current warming trend - The giant icebergs near Antarctic are generated by calving (break off) of the glaciers. - Whenever giant icebergs pass by the ocean color turns to more blue due to the increase of primary production (i.e. increase in phytoplankton) - The top layer of the giant icebergs is an important source of nutrients to the ocean

The giant icebergs near Antarctic are generated by calving (break off) of the glaciers.

Which is correct? - The Argo probe can measure temperature, salinity and currents of the ocean below 3 to 4 miles depths - Argo and Jason are the names of two famous modern oceanographers - The Argo project mimics the sailing paths of the ancient Greek voyage - The information from the Argo probes help scientists better understand changes of upper ocean layers over months to years time scale

The information from the Argo probes help scientists better understand changes of upper ocean layers over months to years time scale

Which is false? - The tides are a result of a gravitational pull between Earth, Moon and Sun. - Spring tide occurs when Earth, Moon, and Sun align. It creates higher high tides and lower low tides. - Neap tide occurs when the Moon and Sun are pulling at right angles to each other. It creates lower high tides and higher low tides. - The solar tides are more than twice as strong as the lunar tides, as Sun is much heavier than Moon with greater gravity pull.

The solar tides are more than twice as strong as the lunar tides, as Sun is much heavier than Moon with greater gravity pull.

Which of following statements most correctly describes about variation in age and thickness of seafloor sediments with distance from the mid-ocean ridge (MOR)? - Sediment thickness decreases with distance away from MOR - Very little, if any, sediment accumulates on top of MOR - The age of surface layer of ocean sediments increase with distance from MOR - The age of bottom layer of ocean sediments decrease with distance from MOR

Very little, if any, sediment accumulates on top of MOR

Which is true? - It is less likely than upper ocean has warmed during the last several decades. - Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets have increased mass during the last two decades. - Atmospheric CO2 and other greenhouse gases have increased during the last century, but similar increase happened during the last 800,000 years of earth's history. - Warming of the climate system is unequivocal.

Warming of the climate system is unequivocal

Which is true? - Well preserved beach can absorb some energy of storm - Beach maintains its structure for a long time - US Army Corps of Engineers in Galveston has put the dredged sands onto the channel so beach may grow - Recent concern of many coastal communities is increase of beach sections

Well preserved beach can absorb some energy of storm

Which statement is NOT correct about the circulation of the Earth's atmosphere? - Air descends (high pressure) along 30N or 30S - Air descends (high pressure) at 90N region - Trade winds in the tropical latitudes converge into winds blowing toward west - Westerlies are the winds blowing toward west

Westerlies are the winds blowing toward west

Which is false? - The doldrums would develop near the equator - Rising air along the equator from wind convergence causes little wind - Warm and humid air rises along ITCZ can form clouds and thunderstorms - Wind convergence along ITCZ is caused by Westerlies winds

Wind convergence along ITCZ is caused by Westerlies winds

Which has the shortest wave period among the typical waves observed in the ocean? - wind waves - storm waves - tsunami - tide waves

Wind waves

Which is false? - Many corals in the ocean struggle due to heat stress from warming in recent decades - One way to cope with the coral bleaching is to breed heat-resistant coral species with other corals that need cooler water - Another way to cope with heat-stress induced coral bleaching is to subject corals to high temperature, select the heat-resisting survivors, and let them populate in the environment - Yet another method to cope with heat-stress induced coral bleaching is by injecting chemicals to polyps so they can live without symbiont algae in warmer condition

Yet another method to cope with heat-stress induced coral bleaching is by injecting chemicals to polyps so they can live without symbiont algae in warmer condition

The "microbial loop" provides a mechanism to convert _________ into biomass that can be consumed by larger organisms.

dissolved organic matter (DOM)

What is the rate of global mean sea level rise during the recent decades?

~3 mm/year