Oceanography Final

The worldwide effects of el Nino include all except?

drought in the U.S gulf coastal states

Emerging shorelines might have all of the following characteristics except?

drowned beaches

What types of past environmental conditions can be inferred by studying cores of ocean floor sediment?

earth scientists can infer sea surface temp, nutrient supply, abundance of marine life, atmospheric winds, etc

In the ongoing process of photosynthesis, respiration, and decomposition in the ocean, all components are recycled except?

energy

A long, narrow, deep U shaped inlet that usually represents the seaward end of a submerged glacial valley*

fjord

Area of rapid change in density with slight change in depth*

pynocline

Why is most lithogenous sediment composed of quarts grains? What is the chemical composition of quartz?

quartz is composed of silicon and oxygen and is one of the most abundant and chemically stable minerals on earth

Milankovitch cycle*

variations in earths orbit

Eukarya is a?

domain

Compared with a solar day, a lunar day is?

longer than a solar day

Of the following statements about longshore transport (longshore drift), which are true?

longshore transport moves sediment upcoast or downcoast, longshore transport moves sediment in a zigzag path, and longshore transport can change direction depending on the waves

Coastal wetland that occurs at subtropical to tropical latitudes devoid of killing forests*

mangrove swamp

What is bathymetry?

measurement of ocean depths, shape, and topography

Organisms that live in the spaces between sediment particles are called?

meiofauna

Periodic variations in earths orbit that can cause natural climate change are called?

milankovitch cycles

Of the following statements about corals, which are true?

most corals go thru planktonic stage of life, certain cold water coral species have been discovered living below sunlit surfaces, most individual coral species are about the size of an ant, and corals catch small food particles with stinging cells

Why does a map of worldwide earthquaked closely match the locations of worldwide plate boundaries?

most earthquakes are created by plates interacting with eachother at their margins.

Internal wave*

movement of water of different densities along a water-water interface

The oxygen storing compound in the red muscle tissue of fishes is called?

myoglobin

The mechanism by which populations evolve and new species develop is called?

natural selection

An increase in cloud cover due to higher moisture content in the atmosphere is an example of?

negative feedback loop

Which of the following word pairs correctly link a descriptor with the way in which the organism lives in the ocean?

nekton-swim

The two most abundant components of dry air are?

nitrogen and oxygen

Productivity is tropical oceans is generally?

nutrient-limited

Of the following statements about the transfer of heat on earth, which are true?

ocean currents move warm water from the tropics to higher latitudes, air currents move warmer air from the tropics to higher latitudes, and water vapor in the air carries latent heat with it

New lithosphere is produced in association with?

oceanic ridges

Of the following statements about the iron hypothesis, which are true?

oceanographer john martin proposed fertilizing the ocean with iron, adding iron to the ocean might cause ecological disaster, adding iron to the ocean increased phytoplankton productivity up to 30 times, and adding iron to the ocean removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere

High latitude ocean water tends to support large planktonic communities b/c?

of higher dissolved oxygen and nutrient concentrations

According to the World Health Organization definition of marine pollutants, ___ is NOT a pollutant?

oil from offshore seeps

Of the following statements about forces and tidal bulges, which are true?

on the side of earth facing away from the sun a tidal bulge will form b/c of centripetal, on the side of earth closest to the moon a tidal bulge will form b/c of gravitational force, and tidal bulges are produced on both sides of earth from the moon and sun

Of the following situations involving orthogonals, which one involves the highest energy?

orthogonals that become more closely spaced as they approach the shore

How does the presence of oxygen in the atmosphere help reduce the amount of UV rays that reach earths surface?

oxygen provides the ozone layer that blocks most of the suns UV rays

The time between two successive waves is called the?

period

A common inhabitant of the supratidal zone on the rocky shores of the pacific northwest is the?

periwinkle snail

Process by which energy is derived from solar radiation that forms organic matter for plants?

photosynthesis

Of the following statements about plankton, which are true?

plankton drift with oceans, plankton are very abundant and comprise most of earths biomass, plankton can move up and down in the water column, and plankton also include certain types of bacteria

Westerlies*

prevailing wind pattern at temperate latitudes

Equitorial currents are driven by the?

trade winds

Of the following, which are useful as proxy data for understanding past climate changes?

tree growth rings, sea floor sediments, annual layers of snow packed in glacial ice, historical documents, and fossil pollen

Lowermost portion of earths atmosphere where most weather occurs*

troposphere

An example of a cruiser is a?

tuna

Of the following items, which are associated with a passive continental margin?

turbidity currents (which are initiated here and flow down submarine canyons) and a wide continental shelf

Marine seed bearing plants include all of the following except?

ulva

A deep water wave occurs when the water depth is equal to at least?

1/2 of the wavelength

The efficiency of trophic transfers in ecosystems is on average around?

10%

Earths axis of rotation is tilted at an angle of?

23.5

Compared to western boundary currents, eastern boundary currents are?

broad and slow

Of the following adaptations, which allows a marine organism to blend into the environment and avoid detection?

Camouflauge, transparent body tissue, disruptive coloration, and countershading

The pollutant responsible for major declines in the populations of pelicans, ospreys, and other marine birds was?

DDT

Which is the correct order for the taxonomic classification of living things?

Kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species

Which ocean is the deepest on earth?

Pacific ocean

Characteristics of active continental margins include all of the following except?

broad continental shelves

Of the following statements about tides in a simple tidal bulge model, which are true?

a lunar or solar eclipse can occur only when the moon is in syzygy, neap tides result from deconstructive interference, tides are greatest when the moon is at perigee and earth is at perihelion, and spring tides result from constructive interference

Which of the following would you expect to find on a summertime beach?

a wide sandy berm

Of the following environments, in which ones would lithogenous sediment be found?

abyssal plains, continental shelves, continental rises, continental slopes, deep ocean trenches

The four main classifications of marine sediment include?

all of the above

Sediment is supplied to the coastal zone by?

all of the above are sources of sediment

Compared to an eastern boundary current in a gyre, which statements are true for a western boundary current?

all of the statements are true

Fossil remains of organisms on land and in sediments can be used to?

all the above

Of the following statements about the tilt of earths axis, which is true?

an increase in earths tilt would cause colder winters and warmer summers

Of the following statements about the density of seawater which are true?

an increase in salinity increases seawater density, and a decrease in temp increases seawater density

Basic building blocks of all matter*

atoms

Identify the phrase that doesnt fit the pattern?

autotrophic

The section of the coast that extends from normal high tide level to the highest elevation on land that is affected by storm waves is called?

backshore

The center of mass of the earth-moon system is called?

barycenter

Littoral*

benthic (bottom dwelling)

Of the following, which are components of earths climate system?

biosphere, atmosphere, cryosphere, geosphere, and hydrosphere (including the oceans)

Of the following whales, which are baleen whales?

blue whales, humpback whales, right whales, and gray whales

Which of the following produces a tidal current?

both ebb tides and flood tides

Primary reason phytoplankton are concerned about bouyancy is that they?

cannot photosynthesize below the photic zone

Which of the following are examples of consumers that exist in marine ecosystems?

carnivores, omnivores, herbivores, and bacteriovores

The ____ force pulls an orbiting body toward the center of that orbit?

centripetal

From smallest to largest, which list of sediment particle sizes is in the correct order?

clay, silt, sand, pebbles

Of the following statements about benthic communities along sediment covered shores, which are true?

coarse sandy beaches have the same tidal zonations as rocky shores, large numbers of organisms can be found buried in sandy shores, and beaches composed of finer sediment have more gentle slopes

Of the following statements about the characteristics of coastal waters, which are true?

coastal waters have high biologic diversity, a very large percentage of the oceans biomass is located in coastal waters, coastal waters are more affected than the open ocean by river runoff and tidal currents, and coastal waters typically have high biologic productivities

Which of the following are microscopic, single celled floating algae that accumulate to form biogenous sediment?

coccolithophores, and diatoms

Change in state from gas to liquid*

condensation

Of the following statements about earths crust, which are true?

continental crust is less dense than oceanic crust, and continental crust is made of rock that is relatively light in color

Of the following locations, which are exceptions to the general rule that productivity is steady and low in tropical regions?

coral reefs, equatorial upwelling, and coastal upwelling

Nektonic organisms in the photic zone often protect themselves from being seen from either above or below thru?

countershading

All of the following are adaptive solutions employed by marine organisms to prevent sinking except?

decreasing cellular fat content

Older lithosphere is destroyed in association with?

deep sea trenches

All of the following are characteristics of erosional shores except?

deltas

Of the following statements about feeding strategies, which are true?

deposit feeders include worms that ingest sediment that is coated with organic matter, suspension feeding involves filtering plankton from seawater, suspension feeding is the same thing as filter feeding, carnivorous feeding involves either passive or active predation, and carnivorous feeding involves organisms directly capturing and eating other animals

Domoic acid poisoning is caused by a neurotoxin produced by?

diatoms

Idealized pressure belts and wind systems are significantly modified by earths tilted axis of rotation and?

differences n the heat capacities of the ocean and land

Of the following techniques, which can be used to map the sea floor?

direct visitation of the seafloor, using satellites to measure the sea surface, sending sound through water (sonar), and recording many depths using a long cable

In general the restoring force for most wind generated waves is?

gravity

Of the following statements about benthic organisms, which are true?

great abundances of benthic organisms are found beneath surface waters, the vast majority of benthic species live on the continental shelf, and many benthic organisms spend the first part of their in pelagic enviroments

A layer of water in which the salinity changes rapidly with changes in depth*

halocline

A spring tide?

has very high high tides and very low low tides

Prevailing offshore winds produce coastal waters that?

have higher salinities

Of the following statements, which are common in the middle tide zone along rocky shores?

hermit crabs, goose necked barnicles, carnivorous sea stars, and sea anemones

The caudal fin shape that is asymmetrical, with most of the mass in the upper lobe, is a?

heterocercal fin

Which of the following factors does not limit coral growth?

high concentrations of calcium carbonate in the water

Which property of water causes coastal communities to have only moderate differences in daily highs and lows compared to inland communities?

high heat capacity

Coastal wetlands are characterized by?

high levels of organic matter in the tidal zone and anoxic muds

Of the following conditions, which helps form a well developed delta?

high sediment load, high rates of deposition, low rates of erosion, small wave energy, and a large volume river

Water can pile up a short distance above a containers rim due to?

high surface tension

If the side of the earth that faces the moon experiences a high tide, then the side of the earth that is opposite from the moon will have a?

high tide

Can never swim against a current*

holoplankton

Which of the following fractures are associated with the mid ocean ridge?

hydrothermal vents, a central rift valley, basalt volcanism and pillow lavas, and volcanoes

Of the following statements about the density of freshwater and the formation of ice, which are true?

ice is less dense than liquid water (which is why ice floats), as the temp of water decreases from 4C to 0C its density decreases, water at 2C is less dense that it is at 4C, waters maximum density is at 4C

Of the following statements about the pH of seawater, which are true?

in a natural site the carbonate buffering system protects the ocean from getting too acidic, the pH of seawater averages about 8.1 and ranges from about 8.0-8.3, and additional carbon dioxide from the atmosphere is getting into the ocean, overwhelming the carbonate buffering system.

Of the following locations, where would you expect to find the HIGHEST annual oceanic productivity?

in middle latitude waters along a continental margin

Coral reefs?

include Atolls, barrier reefs, and fringing reefs

Of the following conditions, which are related to strong el Nino events?

increase abundance of hurricanes in the eastern pacific, increase in sea surface temp, and higher sea levels in the eastern pacific

Natural causes for global climate change include all of the following except?

increase in elevation

Of the following, which ocean changes are predicted to result from global warming?

increased transmission distance of sound in the sea, increase in ocean stratification and development of a stronger thermocline, migration of marine organisms into deeper waters, and lower amounts of dissolved oxygen in seawater

The doldrums refer to the same region as the?

inter tropical convergence zone

The tide generating force varies?

inversely with the cube of the distance between the objects

Many of the unique properties of water are attributed to the fact that water?

is a polar molecule

All of the following are adaptations of deep sea fish except?

large body sizes

High energy environments are most likely to deposit which of the following?

large particles such as gravel

Of the following characteristics or features, which are associated with depositional shores?

large sand pit, formation of barrier islands, bay mouth bars, high sediment supply, and a location near a large delta

The strength of a hurricane stems from waters?

latent heat of condensation

What statement is true of the lithosphere?

lithosphere is composed of the crust and uppermost part of the mantle

Differences between lithosphere and asthenosphere?

lithosphere is earths cool rigid brittle outermost layer, and the asthenosphere is plastic and composed of partially melted rock

Based on the concept of isostatic adjustment, which of the following would result in the uplift of Earths surface?

lithosphere that was thickened by mountain building, lithosphere that was heated by hot asthenosphere, and lithosphere that was less dense

Of the following statements about muscle tissue of cruisers and lungers, which are true?

red muscle tissue supports high metabolic rates, white muscle tissue is designed for quick bursts of speed, cruisers have a mix of red and white muscle tissue, and lungers have mostly white muscle tissue

Acidification of the ocean by the absorption of carbon dioxide is harmful to all marine life and ecosystems, the group most vulnerable to both warming and acidification would be the?

reef corals and other calcareous organisms

Studies indicate that acidification of the ocean by the absorption of carbon dioxide is harmful to virtually all marine life and ecosystems. The group most vulnerable to both warming and acidification would be the?

reef corals and other calcareous organisms

Estuarine circulation associated with a deep, high river volume system where no horizontal salinity gradient exists at the surface is called?

salt wedge estuary

All of the following are adaptations to life in the rocky shore intertidal zone except?

schooling to avoid predators

An important predator of mussel beds in the middle tide zone is the?

sea star

Which of the following, from earliest to latest, represents the typical wave formation?

sea, swell, surf

Of the following nutrients, which are used in photosynthetic primary productivity by phytoplankton?

silica, phosphates, iron, and nitrates

Of the following statements about surface water temp above biogenous sea floor deposits, which are true?

siliceous ooze on the sea floor indicates cool surface water above, and calareous ooze on the sea floor indicates warm surface water above

Of the following adaptations, which of the following are used by various pelagic organisms to keep them from sinking?

soft gelatinous bodies with little if any hard tissue, swim bladders that use gas to regulate bouyancy, fatty organs that effectively increase bouyancy, and intricate ornamental body projections.

Of the following statements about the monthly tidal cycle, which are true?

spring tides occur twice a month, neap tides occur twice a month, the fuul moon is associated with spring tide conditions, and the full moon and the new moon affect the tides about the same

The largest loss of life from a hurricane is usually due to?

storm surge

Deep ocean trenches are associated with?

subduction zones

Difference between submarine canyon and an oceanic trench?

submarine canyon is a steep, V shaped canyon cut into continental shelf, and an oceanic trench is a long depression in the ocean floor

Waves that are moving faster than local winds and are sorted out by wavelength are called?

swell

San Fran Bay is ____ estuary?

tectonic

Of the following sediments, which ones are considered biogenous?

tests of foraminifers, and radiolarian ooze

The warming of earth surface and atmosphere is being altered by human emissions, a phenomenon that is often referred to as?

the anthropogenic greenhouse effect, and the enhanced greenhouse effect

Of the following statements about coastal regions and landforms, which are true?

the area of beach above the shoreline is called the recreational beach, the berm is affected by storm waves, most of the beach face is exposed during low tides and covered during high tides, the beach face is the wet sloping surface, and the berm is located in the backshore area

The fetch refers to?

the distance over which the wind blows without interruption

Of the following events, which are capable of making waves?

underwater landslide, uplift or downdropping of the ocean floor, a rock falling into a small pond, a storm moving over the ocean surface, and human activities (boats)

Of the following statements about the internal structure of earth, which are true?

the lithosphere of earth is made of mantle (upper) and crust, and earths internal layers can be described by their composition or by their physical properties

Difference between mid ocean ridge and a hot spot?

the mid ocean ridge is an underwater mtn range where oceanic crust is created thru upwelling, and hot spots are areas of high volcanic activity

Why does the sea floor have a striped pattern of magnetic anomalies that is symmetric with respect to the mid ocean ridge?

the ocean floor is spreading apart and new sea floor is forming, the igneous rock of the ocean floor preserves earths existing magnetic field as the rock cools, and the polarity of earths magnetic field experiences reversals

The priniciple of constant proportions states that?

the relative concentration of the major ions in seawater does not change

Which of the following statements is supported by the nebular hypothesis regarding our solar system?

the sun becomes a star when its temp and density become so great that nuclear fusion began

Of the following statements about the trade winds,which are true?

the trade winds generally blow from east to west, the trade winds are found between 5 and 30 degrees north or south, and the trade winds are strong and steady winds

which of the following lines of evidence did Alfred Wegner use to support the concept of drifting continents?

the way the shapes of continents fit together like jigsaw puzzle, distribution of fossils, pattern of similar mtn belts on different continents, and evidence of glaciers in tropical areas

Of the following statements about subtropical gyres, which are true?

the western boundary current is intensified (fast, narrow,deep), the centers are associated with high atmospheric pressure, the rotation causes a "hill" of water to pile up, globally there are 5 subtropical gyres, and there are 4 main surface currents in each

The Ekman spiral is caused by?

the wind and the Coriolis effect

Of the following statements about sea floor magnetic anomalies, which are true?

they are oriented parallel to the mid-ocean ridge

Compared to continental crust, oceanic crust is generally?

thinner, denser, darker and at lower elevations

The tides are considered an example of shallow water waves b/c the tidal bulges have a wavelength that is on the order of?

thousands of kilometers

Steep wave front surging up a river as a result of tides*

tidal bore

Which of the following would best describe the principle goal of science?

to explain the causes and effects of observable natural phenomena

In the southern hemisphere, the direction of Ekman transport is always?

to the left of the wind direction

As a result of the Coriolis effect in the northern hemisphere, winds are always deflected?

to the right of their original direction

You are vacationing on an island and want to see a coral reef so you take a boat and drive forever to see it, the reason you had to travel so far is b/c?

too much freshwater is flowing in from the river closer to shore

Of the following characteristics or features, which are related to hurricanes?

warm ocean water, the trade winds, waters latent heat of condensation, and warm air with lots of water vapor

The speed of a shallow water wave is proportional to?

water depth

Geostrophic current*

water flow driven by gravity and modified by the Coriolis effect

Of the following properties of water, which are caused by the unusual geometry of water molecules?

water has cohesion and surface tension, snowflakes form 6 sided crystals, water molecules form hydrogen bonds, water has the ability to dissolve just about anything, and water molecules have polarity

Of the following physical changes that occur to waves as they move into shallow water, which are true?

wavelength decreases, wave height increases, wave steepness increases, and the waves touch bottom

Strong upwelling occurs in all of the following except?

where deep ocean water currents are formed

Of the following locations, where would upwelling be expected to occur?

where there is a sharp bend in a coastline, where there is a shallowly submerged sea floor obstruction (tablemount), in areas of offshore winds, and in areas of diverging surface currents (along the equator)

Most ocean waves form as a result of?

winds blowing across the ocean surface