Oceanography Practice Midterm Exam II Water, Ocean Chemistry, Atmospheric and Ocean Circulation
51. Which of the following statements best describes the conservative constituents of seawater?
a. Conservative constituents, which include salinity, change very slowly.
123. Downwelling of cold, salty polar waters
a. Formation of sea ice
28. The property of water that accounts for the ability of liquid water to absorb heat and change only very little in temperature is called:
a. Specific heat, or heat capacity.
122. El Niño
b+c Excessive warm water in the tropical Eastern Pacific
126. what is Locality V? http://i.imgur.com/QVaA3t9.jpg
b+c. Humboldt
74. There are _____ main wind bands in each hemisphere of the Earth.
b. 3
1. Increasing heat is an object's response to an increase in temperature.
b. False
103. Benjamin Franklin was the first person to recognize the extent of the __________ off the Eastern Seaboard of the U.S. and to publish a navigational chart of it.
b. Gulf Stream.
106. El Niño results due to an interruption of flow of the ____________ Current(s) in the Pacific.
b. Humboldt and Equatorial
127. what is Locality W ? http://i.imgur.com/QVaA3t9.jpg
b. Kuroshio
119. Surface winds of the Hadley Cell
b. The Trades
63. Residence time is:
b. The average length of time a dissolved ion spends in the ocean.
105. Which current within a Northern Hemisphere gyre would you expect to have the lowest salinity and temperature?
b. an eastern boundary current.
52. Oxygen enters seawater mainly
b. as a byproduct of photosynthesis.
35. Seawater freezes ____________ fresh water.
b. at a lower temperature than
101. The most dense water in ocean currents is the
b. coldest and saltiest.
56. The property of seawater used in induction salinometers to measure salinity is
b. electrical conductivity.
11. The ocean's geostrophic gyres are primarily driven by density differences of seawater masses.
b. false.
12. Atmosphere circulation transports one third of Earth's sun-derived, low-latitude, surface heat to the poles.
b. false.
13. Eastern boundary currents typically are warm and narrow, and have poorly-defined edges and eddies.
b. false.
16. The bond between a hydrogen atom and the oxygen atom within a single water molecule is termed a hydrogen bond.
b. false.
19. Blue and green wavelengths of sunlight are more greatly absorbed than red and orange wavelength sunlight as they travel through seawater.
b. false.
20. The minimum sound velocity layer (the sofar layer) in the ocean lies only several meters beneath the ocean's surface.
b. false.
5. Tropical cyclones never leave the tropics.
b. false.
115. Attributed with most of water's remarkable thermal properties
c+d Hydrogen bonding
36. About what percentage of the incoming sunlight is absorbed by the Earth's land and water surface?
c. 51%
114. Deflects objects moving over Earth's rotating surface
c. Coriolis effect
125. what is Locality U ? http://i.imgur.com/QVaA3t9.jpg
c. North Pacific Eastern Boundary
96. The only ocean current that continues in an uninterrupted circle around the circumference of the Earth without encountering land is the:
c. West Wind Drift.
91. A system of four ocean currents completing a flow circuit around the periphery of an ocean basin is collectively called:
c. a geostrophic gyre.
102. The Cromwell Current is
c. a shallow current below a surface current and flowing in the opposite direction.
80. Hurricane Andrew, the most costly natural disaster to strike the United States, was a violent example of
c. a tropical cyclone.
95. Ocean surface currents (gyres) tend to move in great _______________ patterns in the Northern Hemisphere.
c. clockwise.
69. Hot air _____________, while cool air _____________.
c. expands and rises ... contracts and sinks
41. The speed of sound in water is ____________ the speed of sound in air.
c. greater than
110. Wind moving from north to south along the California coast causes water moving along the coast to:
c. move away from shore (west) - producing upwelling
86. When air masses come together in the mid-latitudes
c. one air mass may ride up and over the other and form a front.
112. The main force driving thermohaline circulation is:
c. seawater density and gravity.
58. A solution is made of two components, a(n) __________ and a(n) ___________.
c. solute ... solvent
22. The property of water that allows certain insects to walk on the surface is called
c. surface tension
70. Seasons are caused by
c. the Earth's 23° rotational tilt relative to the plane of its orbit around the sun
62. We can determine salinity if we know:
c. the chlorinity of a water sample.
26. Most of the world ocean (by volume) has the temperature properties of
c. the deep and bottom waters layer.
66. Water's slight blue color is caused by the absorption of red light by:
c. the hydrogen bonds between water molecules.
92. The ultimate source of the energy for ocean's currents is:
c. the sun.
77. The dependable (persistent) surface winds of the Earth centered at about 15° north and south latitudes are called:
c. the trade winds
38. The most pronounced thermoclines exist in:
c. the tropics.
97. Generally the fastest and deepest ocean currents are:
c. western boundary currents.
90. Tropical cyclones tend to move
c. westward and poleward in both hemispheres.
27. The density of a parcel of seawater will increase
c. when the salinity increases.
59. The dissolved ions present in seawater alter the characteristics of pure water in all of the following ways except:
d. The ions cause the seawater to become less dense than freshwater.
118. An abundant, conservative constituent in seawater
d+e Sodium ion
39. About what percent of ocean water is contained in the "deep zone" beneath the pycnocline?
d. 80%
65. Which of the following statements about pH is not true?
d. As a whole, the pH of the ocean is mildly acidic.
84. Vast regions or belts of vertical air movement (either rising or falling) are primarily found on the Earth at latitudes
d. Both, a. and c.
94. The Earth's rotation influences currents by an apparent force known as:
d. Coriolis effect.
129. what is Locality Y ? http://i.imgur.com/QVaA3t9.jpg
d. Gulf Stream
120. A sparse, nonconservative constituent in seawater
d. Iron
24. The transmission of sound by water can best be described by which of the following statement:
d. It is more efficient than transmission by air.
109. Which ocean surface current carries the greatest volume of water?
d. The West Wind Drift.
107. During an El Niño event,
d. a strong equatorial countercurrent develops in the Pacific.
89. Wintertime cyclonic systems typically form
d. at high latitudes, at the junction between the polar cells and the Ferrel cells.
60. The components of ocean water whose proportions are not accounted for by the weathering of surface rocks are called:
d. excess constituents
54. The major source of carbon dioxide in seawater is
d. from seafloor sediments.
79. Winds (and winter storm systems) generally moves across the United States
d. from west to east.
81. The boundary between two air masses is called a(n):
d. front.
32. The wavelengths of light that penetrate deepest into the ocean are:
d. green and blue.
55. Most seawater samples are taken
d. in a Nansen or Niskin sampling bottle.
67. The salinity of the ocean, at the present time, seems to be
d. in equilibrium, with dissolved components entering equal to dissolved components leaving.
50. Once an element or dissolved substance reaches the ocean,
d. it may stay or be removed depending on the individual chemistry of the elem
111. Most of the ocean's deepest bottom water initially forms
d. near the ocean surface in the Antarctic
68. The most abundant gaseous components of the Earth's atmosphere are:
d. nitrogen and oxygen.
76. If you were standing on top of a high mid-Pacific island at 15° north latitude, from which direction would you expect the wind to come? (Hint: don't forget to consider Coriolis effect!)
d. northeast.
117. The Gulf Stream
a+b Western boundary current
124. what is Locality T ? http://i.imgur.com/QVaA3t9.jpg
a+b. Agulhas
116. La Niña
a+e Excessive cold water in the tropical Eastern Pacific
64. What is the approximate mixing time of the world ocean?
a. About 1,400 years.
98. Britain's weather is _____________________ than would be expected at that latitude because of the influence of surface currents.
d. warmer and wetter.
130. what is Locality Z ? http://i.imgur.com/QVaA3t9.jpg
f. Equatorial Transverse
100. Countercurrents and undercurrents generally move _____________ than the surface current above, and in ______________ direction.
d. slower ... the opposite
47. Other than the hydrogen and oxygen atoms themselves, the two most abundant solids (ions) dissolved in seawater are
d. sodium and chloride
61. The Principle of Constant Proportions states:
d. that the ratio of major salts in samples of seawater from various places is a constant.
87. The power for tropical cyclones comes from
d. the condensation of warm, moist air
43. Active sonar differs from passive sonar in that active sonar:
d. uses sound to probe as well as listen.
31. The depth to which light can penetrate the ocean depends on:
a. The dust, cloud cover, and gases in the atmosphere. b. The angle of the sun above the horizon. c. The smoothness or roughness of the sea surface. d. The amount of suspended material in the water. e. ALL STATEMENTS APPLY
104. Geostrophic gyres can be described by which of the following statements?
a. They are powered by prevailing surface winds. b. They depend on Coriolis effect and the position of continental land masses for their direction. c. They form gyres around the perimeters of ocean basins. d. They are physically large oceanic phenomena. ALL OF THE ABOVE ARE TRUE
2. The ocean tends to become more dense with increasing depth:
a. True
21. The hydrogen bonds of water molecules account for which of the following?
a. Water is the universal solvent. b. Water has a high surface tension. c. Water has a high boiling point. d. Water has a high heat capacity. ALL OF THE ABOVE
128. what is Locality X ? http://i.imgur.com/QVaA3t9.jpg
a. West Wind Belt
34. A zone in which the ocean's salinity increases rapidly with increasing depth is called:
a. a halocline.
88. When viewed from above, tropical cyclones rotate ______________ in the southern hemisphere.
a. clockwise
99. San Francisco's characteristic cold and foggy weather is caused by a:
a. cold eastern boundary current.
25. The ocean is stratified with respect to
a. density b. temperature c. salinity ALL OF THE ABOVE
53. The amount of gas that seawater can hold in solution will be greater
a. in colder water.
78. The meteorological equator
a. is also called the "thermal equator." b. is usually located about 5° north of the geographical equator. c. represents the imaginary line of thermal equilibrium between hemispheres. d. is a place where surface winds converge. ALL OF THE ABOVE
29. If our planet were without its ocean, but otherwise the same as it is today, would surface temperatures be more extreme than they are now (that is, higher high temperatures in summer, and lower low temperatures in winter), of less extreme, or what?
a. more extreme.
30. The ocean's deep sound channel (sofar layer) is characterized as a zone in which:
a. sound is horizontally concentrated rather than diffused as it moves through the water. b. acoustical energy losses are relatively small. c. sound waves travel great horizontal distances. d. sound velocity is at a minimum. ALL STATEMENTS APPLY
37. The main carrier of heat between the warm tropics and the cold polar regions is
a. the atmosphere.
42. The "afternoon effect" involves:
a. the higher wind waves present in the afternoon.
49. The term "salinity" refers to
a. the total amount of dissolved solids and gases in the ocean.
113. CFCs (chlorinated fluorocarbons) are used to trace the movement of ocean currents because:
a. they are inexpensive. b. they are long-lived and can be detected in very small quantities. c. they are dangerous to marine organisms and must be removed. d. they dissolve on water only at the ocean surface. BOTH B & D
75. The Coriolis effect causes objects moving in the northern hemisphere to veer off course
a. to the right, or counterclockwise when viewed from above.
10. Western boundary currents typically are deep and swift, and have well-defined edges and eddies.
a. true
14. Atmospheric circulation transports close to two thirds of Earth's sun-derived, low-latitude, surface heat to the poles.
a. true
15. Western boundary currents typically are deep and swift, and have well-defined edges and eddies.
a. true
17. The unique thermal properties of water is attributed to a type of bonding called "hydrogen bonding".
a. true
18. The pycnocline is specifically defined as a horizontal zone in the ocean that marks a sharp change in seawaterdensity.
a. true
3. It is possible for two samples of water to have the same density at different combinations of temperature and salinity.
a. true
4. An air mass is a large body of air with nearly uniform temperature, humidity, and therefore density throughout.
a. true
82. Tropical cyclones are also called:
a. willi-willis. b. typhoons. c. hurricanes. ALL OF THESE ARE SAME THINGS, JUST DIFFERENT NAMES
6. The amount of seawater water flowing in the geostrophic currents of the world ocean is approximately equal to the total amount of water flowing in all the Earth's fresh water rivers.
b. false.
7 Deep current are horizontal and rarely move vertically.
b. false.
8. The thermohaline circulation system is a fancy term for geostrophic gyres.
b. false.
9. Ocean circulation transports most of Earth's sun-derived, low-latitude, surface heat to the poles.
b. false.
23. The ocean is slow to heat and slow to cool. This is related to a property of water known as
b. high heat capacity.
44. The U. S. Navy's IUSS (Integrated Undersea Surveillance System) is interesting to oceanographers because:
b. it allows researches to track marine mammals and listen for underwater earthquakes.
57. The densest phase of water is
b. liquid.
45. The hydrogen atoms in a water molecule tend to bond to
b. oxygen atoms of another water molecule.
73. According to the atmospheric circulation model developed in the text, air tends to
b. rise at 60° north and fall at 30° north.
40. The upper sunlit layer of the ocean is called __________ and extends to a depth of about ____________ :
b. the photic zone ... 100 meters
93. The direct source of the energy for ocean' surface currents is:
b. wind.
48. The hydrogen and oxygen atoms in a water molecule are held together by:
c. electron sharing (covalent bonding).
108. Which of these is generally NOT an El Niño effect?
e. A decline in the exotic, warm-water species of fish and other forms of marine life in the affected waters.
121. The California Current
e. Eastern boundary current
71. Earth is "tilted" at about 23° relative to its orbital plane around the sun. This causes
e. all of these things.
33. The densest seawater is the:
e. coldest and saltiest.
85. Which of these phenomena is NOT associated with tropical cyclones?
e. high atmospheric pressure
72. Earth rotates eastward at about
e. impossible to say without knowing the latitude.
83. Weather may be defined as:
e. short-term, localized characteristics of the atmosphere.
