Oceanography Midterm 2
The definition of "plankton" is what?
marine plants and animals that drift or swim only weakly
Which is a measure of the primary productivity of a kelp forest? mass of top consumer, mass of kelp eaten per year, mass of kelp, total biomass of the ecosystem, or mass of kelp grown per year
mass of kelp grown per year
rainy climates are most likely to be found near what?
warm, rising air
It takes the most energy to raise the temperature of 1g of which substance by 1 degree Celsius?
water
what is the frequency of a wave that is 100m long and has a period of 10s?
0.1s ^(-1)
How many kilograms of phytoplankton does it take to support a 100 kg fish that is a third-level consumer (i.e. it eats small fish that feed on zooplankton that eat phytoplankton).
100,000 kg
How long does it take water to complete one loop of the thermohaline circulation?
1000 years
If the deep ocean holds 10^21 kg of water with a residence time of 1000 yr, what is the rate at which deep water mixes back up to the surface ocean?
10^18 kg/yr
what is the speed of a wind wave with a wavelength of 81m traveling in water that is 49 m deep?
11.25 m/s
what is the speed of a wind wave with a wavelength of 121 m traveling in water that is 100m deep?
13.75 m/s
how much energy would be required to raise the temp of 100g of liquid water from 0 to 15 degrees celsius? heat capacity of liquid water = 1 cal/g degrees C; heat capacity of water vapor = 0.5 cal/g degrees Cl latent heat of fusion for water =80 cal/g; latent heat of vaporization for water =540 cal/g
1500 cal
Sodium has a concentration of 10g/kg in seawater, and a residence time of 68 million years. If the ocean is in steady state, what is the rate at which sodium is removed from the ocean? (Ocean's mass is 1.4*10^21 kg)
2 * 10^14 g/yr
how many calories of energy would it take to convert 1g of ice at 0 degrees C to water vapor at 100 C? heat capacity of liquid water =1 cal/g degrees C; heat capacity of water vapor = 0.5 cal/g degrees Cl latent heat of fusion for water =80 cal/g; latent heat of vaporization for water =540 cal/g
720 cal
if the rate of evaporation from the ocean's surface increases but the size of the ocean remains the same, what will happen to the residence time of water in the ocean?
It will decrease
T/F: The Gulf Stream moves more than fifty times as much water as the Mississippi river
True
in ____ in Santa Barbara, beaches are wide and thick w sand; in ____ in SB, beaches are narrow and rocky because ___ sand ____.
Winter; summer; longshore drift; offshore
A 81-m wind wave in water that is 49 m deep is an example of what?
a deep water wave
Salinity is a measure of the mass of _____ dissolved in seawater
all inorganic solids
Which process contributes to deep water formation by increasing the density of surface water? sea ice formation, evaporation, cooling, or all of the above?
all of the above
what happens when a wave approaches the shore? the wave breaks when ratio of wave height to wavelength is 1:7, wave's period stays the same, wave speed slows, wavelength shortens, or all of the above
all of the above
which of the following statements about tsunamis is true? tsunamis are shallow water waves, tsunamis can travel 700 km/hr, tsunamis can have wavelengths of 200 km, a single tsunami can have multiple wave crests 15 minutes apart, or all of the above
all of the above
which of the following statements accurately describes remineralization? the chemical reaction is the reverse of photosynthesis, it converts organic matter into inorganic nutrients, it consumes oxygen and produces CO2, it occurs in both the surface and deep ocean, or all of the above?
all of the above
Residence time describes what?
average amount of time particles spend in a reservoir
define gyre
clockwise or counter-clockwise surface currents
which surface ocean conditions are most likely to be indicative of upwelling?
cold and high productivity
what causes rogue waves?
constructive interference
which statement is NOT true: a. sulfate is one component that contributes to the salinity of seawater. b. dissolved solids make up 3.5% of seawater. c. gases also dissolve in seawater. d. salinity is slowly increasing because rivers deliver salts to the ocean but the salts cannot be evaporated
d. salinity is slowly increasing because rivers deliver salts to the ocean but the salts cannot be evaporated
a 121-m wind wave in water that is 100m deep is an example of what?
deep water wave
define Coriolis Effect
deflection of moving objects on the rotating Earth
the Coriolis effect does what?
deflects objects in the northern hemisphere toward the right
define thermohaline circulation
density-driven vertical convection in the deep ocean
The cause of the Coriolis force is the fact that...?
different latitudes on earth rotate at different speeds
El Nino is associated with changes in the atmospheric Walker cell circulation, which is a convective cell that moves air _____?
east-west along the equatorial Pacific
In California, most beaches are: experiencing growth, experiencing erosion, or stable in size?
experiencing erosion
T/F: extratropical cyclones spin in the opposite direction as tropical cyclones
false
What is a Sverdrup?
flow rate = 10^6 cubic meters per second
consider a stretch of the CA coastline that runs directly north-south (with California on the east and the Pacific Ocean on the west)/ The wind and Coriolis effect will act together to produce coastal upwelling when the wind blows in which direction?
from north to south
What is a wall built perpendicular to shore (sticking out into the ocean)?
groin
The California Current is caused by what?
gyre circulation
the weakest tides within the smallest variation in tide height occur during the what?
half (or quarter) moon
what is latent heat?
heat absorbed or released when a substance changes phase
while the side of Earth facing the moon experiences high tide, the opposite side of Earth experiences what?
high tide also
the oldest deep water in the ocean is where?
in the deep North Pacific
if our planet were without its ocean (if it were entirely covered in dry land), but otherwise the same as it is today, what would be the effect on seasonal temperature changes?
larger temperature changes: summers would be hotter and winters would be colder
the two most common limiting factors in the ocean are what?
light and nutrients
if a storm forms out at sea and slowly moves toward land, which statement best describes the arrival of waves on the beach?
long wavelengths arrive first, followed by shorter wavelengths
A wall build perpendicular to shore (sticking out into the ocean) is primarily built to help reduce sand loss do to: longshore transport, coastal upwelling, sea level rise, or storm surges?
longshore transport
the calcium carbonate in the White Cliffs of Dover is formed from what?
microscopic seashells
water particles in a deep-water wave move...
move in circular paths near the water surface
define Hadley Cell
north-south atmospheric convection in the tropics
which choice best describes where hurricanes form and grow?
not at the equator because there is no Coriolis effect at the equator, only where surface temperatures are > 26 degrees C, and only above water (a, b, and c)
a primary producer describes organisms that get their energy from where?
photosynthesis or chemosynthesis (a or b)
Where is deep water formed?
polar regions
Ice at 0 degrees celsius is floating in a glass of water that is also 0 degrees celsius. If the ice is melting and changing into meltwater at 0 degrees celsius, the melting ice will: require additional energy as determined by the latent heat of fusion, release energy and heat into the environment, or not require additional energy because it doesn't change temperature
require additional energy as determined by the latent heat of fusion
monsoon rainfall is caused by what?
seasonal temperature differences between land and ocean
Equatorial upwelling is caused by what?
surface currents moving away from the equator in both hemispheres
Marine terraces are formed when what happens?
tectonic uplift raises former coastlines above sea level
marine terraces are formed when...
tectonic uplift raises former coastlines above sea level
the rapid change in temperature with depth between the surface ocean and deep ocean is called the ___?
thermocline boundary
What causes eutrophication?
too many nutrients
define hurricane
tropical cyclone
T/F: El Nino causes increased rainfall in the East Pacific and drought in the West Pacific
true
T/F: the surface ocean typically has lower nutrient concentrations but higher productivity than the deep ocean
true
What is the primary energy source for hurricane convection?
water's latent heat
longshore drift is caused by what?
waves that are not parallel to shore
Hydrogenous sediments are formed from minerals that:
were dissolved in seawater
In what direction do winds blow over most of the US?
west to east
Which of the following is an example of lithogenous (or terrigenous) sediment? manganese nodules, calcium carbonate ooze, wind-blown dust, diatom shells
wind blown dust
coastal upwelling occurs when what happens?
wind blows along the coast pushing water away from the shore