Oceanography Test 2
What category hurricane was Ike?
4
The density of pure water reaches its maximum density, or plateaus, at an approximate temperature of?
4 degrees Celsius
In which direction does the surface current move in relation to the wind in the Southern Hemisphere?
45 degrees to the left
How big can the diameter of a hurricane become?
500 miles
Which of the following statements is/are true regarding surface ocean currents?
Cold currents flow at high latitudes or from higher latitudes toward the equator. Gyres in the Southern Hemisphere rotate counterclockwise.
What causes water's density to decrease when it freezes?
Hydrogen Bonds
The most common liquid on planet Earth is?
Water
To what depth in the ocean does the Ekman spiral extend?
about 100 meters (330 feet)
The depth at which calcite dissolves rapidly in the ocean is called the __________.
calcite compensation depth or CCD
What two features are many of Earth's deserts associated with?
the subtropical highs and cool ocean currents found along the west coasts of continents
How much more acidic is a substance with a pH of 2 than a substance with a pH of 5?
1000
Why is warm, moist air considered the "fuel" for a hurricane?
Air cools as it rises. As air cools, water vapor will condense out as liquid water. Condensation releases heat, providing energy to the hurricane.
Which of the following are western boundary currents?
Brazil Current East Australia Current Kuroshio Current
A block of ice is in a deep freezer at -40°C. The ice is removed from the freezer and is placed in the sink. When will the ice begin to melt?
Ice begins to melt after 20 calories of heat per gram of water is applied. Ice begins to melt when it reaches 0°C.
Which of the following statements is/are true regarding low pressure systems?
In the Northern Hemisphere, low pressure systems are cyclonic. Rising air in a Northern Hemisphere low pressure system is akin to opening a valve by turning it to the left.
The Gulf Stream transports warm water into the __________.
North Atlantic
As a whole, the pH of surface waters of the ocean is slightly __________.
alkaline
Which areas of Earth experience the most precipitation?
areas near the ITCZ
When would you expect the low-pressure cell over the North Pole to be most developed?
during the Northern hemisphere winter
What drives Hadley cell circulation?
heat from the sun
Where are Hadley cells found?
in the atmosphere near the equator
Which of the following substances releases the most hydroxide ions when dissolved in water?
sodium hydroxide
What are the two controlling factors that affect water density?
temperature and salinity
What conditions are required for a hurricane to form?
the Coriolis effect warm ocean temperatures
At what temperature (in degrees centigrade) does saltwater freeze?
-2°C
Part complete At what temperature (in degrees centigrade) does the density of water decrease dramatically as it cools?
0°C
At what wind speed does a tropical storm become a hurricane?
120 kilometers (74 miles) per hour
A hurricane blows onto the East Coast of the United States on September 16, 2017. The maximum sustained wind speed is 176 kilometers (109 miles) per hour and the sea level height is pushed 2.3 meters (7.5 feet) above normal. What category is this hurricane?
2
At what latitude(s) are most major deserts of the world located?
90 degrees north and south latitude 30 degrees north and south latitude
If you want to drink a cold glass of water, why might you want to add ice?
Any heat that is absorbed by the water will go into melting the ice, not raising the temperature of the water, so the water will stay cooler longer.
Part complete How do changes in molecular motion cause most substances, including water, to expand as they warm and contract as they cool?
As a substance heats up, the molecules move more and take up more space. As a substance cools, the molecules move less and take up less space.
Which of the following statements is/are true regarding acidic and alkaline substances?
Blood, eggs, and seawater have a similar pH, adding support to the theory that life originally evolved in the ocean. pH stands for "power of hydrogen." pH is a measure of the concentration of hydrogen ions in a solution.
Carbon dioxide (CO2) combines with water (H2O) to form __________.
Carbon dioxide (CO2) combines with water (H2O) to form __________.
What factor(s) drive(s) Ekman transport?
Coriolis effect wind
Which of the following statements regarding moving air is/are true?
Cyclonic flow is counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere. Air always moves from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure. The movement of air is called wind. Due to the Coriolis effect, objects are deflected to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere.
Why do the lengths of the arrows in the Ekman spiral get shorter and shorter as you move deeper into the water column?
Deeper water moves at a slower speed due to friction.
Which current that flows along the equator is driven by a difference in sea level caused by ocean circulation patterns?
Equatorial Countercurrent in the Pacific Ocean
Which of the following processes increase seawater salinity?
Evaporation Sea ice formation
Why is the latent heat of vaporization for water so much higher than the latent heat of melting?
For melting, only some hydrogen bonds need to be broken, whereas for vaporization, all hydrogen bonds must be broken.
How do high pressure systems behave in the Northern Hemisphere?
High pressure systems rotate clockwise due to air turning to the right as it moves from high pressure to low pressure.
What is true regarding hydrogen bonds in water?
Hydrogen bonds are responsible for the high heat capacity of water. Hydrogen bonds are responsible for the high latent heat of melting of ice to liquid water. Hydrogen bonds are responsible for the high latent heat of vaporization of liquid water to water vapor.
What is the typical path for a North Atlantic hurricane to follow?
It begins in the low latitudes of the Atlantic, is pushed westward by the trade winds, curves to the right due to the Coriolis effect, and then, once it is in the midlatitudes, it is pushed to the east by the prevailing westerlies.
What makes water a polar molecule?
It has a positive hydrogen side and a negative oxygen side.
What is true of water in a solid state?
It is rigid and forms a three-demensional crystalline shape. Water molecules in ice remain in a relatively fixed position and are not as mobile as they are in the liquid state, where there are fewer hydrogen bonds.
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.
What was so notable about Hurricane Katrina?
It was one of the top five deadliest hurricanes in U.S. history. It was a very strong category 5 hurricane, with maximum sustained winds of 280 kilometers (175 miles) per hour. It was the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history.
What was so notable about Hurricane Sandy?
It was the largest Atlantic hurricane on record, in terms of diameter and extent.
When does Brazil experience the longest night of the year?
June 21
Fluctuations in the flow of the Gulf Stream current result in curving loops of water known as __________.
Meanders
Which of the following processes can provide fresh drinking water from seawater?
Melting of icebergs distillation of evaporated seawater freeze separation of sea ice
What mechanism is primarily responsible for the observed surface salinity in the low latitudes?
Rates of evaporation are high, causing surface salinity to be high.
What mechanisms are primarily responsible for the observed surface salinity near the poles?
Rates of evaporation are low and rates of ice melt are high, causing salinity to be low.
Why is heavy rain associated with hurricane formation?
Rising, moist air cools. As air cools, water condenses and eventually falls.
Part complete Which of the following processes increase(s) surface salinity?
Sea ice formation Evaporation
Which factor(s) below drive(s) and shape(s) the pattern of surface ocean currents? Choose all that apply.
Shape of the ocean basins Coriolis effect wind
On a west coast in the Northern Hemisphere, what happens to surface waters when winds blow from the NORTH?
Surface waters move offshore. Upwelling occurs.
On a west coast in the Northern Hemisphere, what happens to surface waters when winds blow from the SOUTH?
Surface waters move onshore. Downwelling occurs.
The density (mass per volume) of most liquids increases as the ? is lowered?
Temperature
Why is the direction of rotation in the Northern Hemisphere opposite the direction of rotation in the Southern Hemisphere?
The Coriolis effect causes opposite deflections in the Northern Hemisphere than in the Southern Hemisphere.
Why don't tropical storms that form on the equator develop into hurricanes?
The Coriolis effect is absent.
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.
In what way does water behave unusually as it cools?
The density of liquid water increases as it cools; then the density starts to decrease as it freezes.
What would you expect weather to be like on the eastern coast of Australia if the western coast of South America were experiencing unusually warm, wet weather?
The eastern coast of Australia would be experiencing unusually dry weather.
As shown in the video, what causes the item to deflate?
The higher pressure inside the item forces the air out into the lower pressure of the room.
Why are water molecules in a gas phase able to move rapidly and independently of each other?
There are no hydrogen bonds between water molecules in a gas phase, so each water molecule acts as an individual.
How do hydrogen bonds define the three states of matter in water?
There are no hydrogen bonds when water is in a gas phase. Ice has more hydrogen bonds than water vapor does. In liquid water, there are some hydrogen bonds between water molecules that form and break repeatedly. Water will be a solid if there are hydrogen bonds between all water molecules.
Which of the following statements is/are true regarding the anatomy of a hurricane?
Warm, moist air rises from the ocean surface, creating a low pressure system. Torrential rain and thunderstorms are common within the spiral rain bands. Air moves from high to low pressure and curves to the right due to the Coriolis effect in the Northern Hemisphere.
Which of the following statements is/are true of sea ice?
When sea ice forms, the water molecules preferentially exclude any salt in the water, resulting in ice that is mostly fresh. Sea ice formation increases the salinity of remaining seawater.
Why is it colder in winter than in summer?
When the Northern or Southern Hemisphere of Earth is tilted away from the sun it is winter because that part of Earth receives less direct energy from the sun.
Which of the following statements regarding the wind belts and the wind belt boundaries is/are true?
Winds blow from high to low pressure. Winds are named according to the direction they come from. Deserts are found in Greenland and Antarctica.
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 a tropical cyclone?
a low-pressure disturbance that develops over warm, tropical waters
The thermocline is _________________.
a steep temperature gradient in the ocean that separates deeper cold water from warmer upper water
Calcite-secreting organisms such as __________ and __________ live in the ocean's sunlit surface waters and form the basis of most marine food webs.
coccolithophores; foraminifers
When a meander from the Gulf Stream pinches off into the warm water south of the current, the eddy is called a __________.
cold-core eddy or ring
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
One of the world's most powerful currents, located off the east coast of the United States, is the __________.
gulf stream
Which ocean current is the strongest and fastest ocean current in the world?
gulf stream
Why does the west coast of South Africa have high biological productivity?
high concentrations of nutrients in the surface water lots of coastal upwelling
Which of the following processes is responsible for the high surface salinities in regions with hot climates?
high rates of evaporation
Part complete As discussed in the video, air always moves from _____ atmospheric pressure regions to _____ atmospheric pressure regions.
high; low
The pH scale is a measure of the __________ ion concentration of a solution.
hydrogen
Why is ice less dense than liquid water?
ice expands as it freezes. Ice crystals have a hexagonal shape. Ice crystals are bulky.
Part complete Which of the following substances releases the most hydrogen ions when dissolved in water?
lemon juice
Where are tropical cyclones found?
lower and middle latitudes
On what day(s) do all locations on Earth experience 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of night?
on the vernal equinox on the autumnal equinox
Part complete In which of the following substances are there equal numbers of hydrogen ions and hydroxide ions?
pure water
Even though it's on the same spinning planet, the Coriolis effect influences moving objects and diverts them to the _____ of their intended direction in the Northern Hemisphere and to the _____ of their intended direction in the Southern Hemisphere.
right; left
In the Northern Hemisphere, the Ekman spiral moves layers of water to the _____ of the wind direction and Ekman transport (the overall direction of water movement) is to the _____.
right; right
Which of the following processes decrease seawater salinity?
river runoff precipitation sea ice melting
What is the Coriolis Effect?
the deflection of moving objects to the right in the Northern Hemisphere, and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere
What did the NASA satellite measure as it made passes above Hurricane Arthur in 2014?
the extent and intensity of the rain bands
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
Which way would an airplane deflect if flying from the South Pole toward the equator?
toward the left
Which way would an airplane deflect if flying from the North Pole toward the equator?
toward the right
Which way would an airplane deflect if flying from the North Pole toward the equator?
toward the west
Which of the following names mean "tropical cyclone"?
typhoon hurricane cyclone
Which of the following currents goes all the way around the world without being interrupted by land?
west wind drift
The Coriolis effect is _____ at the equator and is _____ at the poles.
zero; strongest
