GeoSci 040 Quiz 2
What is Viscosity?
A measure of resistance to shear motion
Nearly 98% of global fish production occurs:
In shelf and coastal upwelling regions
Salinity of ocean surface water is:
Influenced by evaporation
What is true about residence time for an element in seawater?
It is given by the ratio of the total amount of the element in seawater divided by the input rate.
The tropic pyramid tells us that to grow 1 kg of a top level predator-consumer such as tuna:
It takes 10,000 kg of phytoplankton
During the course of a year, Earth is closest to the sun in:
January, not long after the Dec. solstice
Is the ocean is stratified (layered) with the densest water on top and less dense water below?
No, False
Do latitudes above about 40 degrees N and S receive more solar energy than they lose?
No, false
Do marine animals break down water molecules to obtain oxygen for respiration?
No, false.
The Coriolis effect causes objects in motion to veer off their initial trajectories. What is true?
Objects are deflected to the right in the northern hemisphere AND winds blowing from south to north in the northern hemisphere are deflected to the east
Goldilocks and Water on Earth. Recently a team of astronomers announced that:
They had detected two Earth-sized planets circling very close to a star called Kepler-20
***For oceanic gyres: Western boundary currents tend to be narrower, deeper, and swifter than eastern boundary currents. True or False?
True
***Large-scale gyres in the major oceans bring warm water from the tropics to the poles and cold water from the poles to the tropics. True or False?
True
Deep-water ocean circulation is driven by temperature and salinity contrasts between water masses. True or False?
True
In the Earth's southern hemisphere, western boundary currents in the ocean bring warm water southward. True or False?
True
In the Earth's southern hemisphere, winds rotate clockwise around low pressure systems. True or False?
True
True or False? Ocean deep water is rich in nutrients that are essential to phytoplankton growth.
True
Western boundary currents are fast and narrow because of the variations in the coirolis effect with latitude
True
Winds blowing to the south in the southern hemisphere are deflected to...
the east
Ocean water most likely formed...
(From emission (degassing) of materials (volatiles) from Earth's interior)
What is the residence time of deep water in the large basins?
500-2000 years
What are thermocline, halocline, and pycnocline ?
The names for the region between surface water and deep water
***What do uneven heating of the Earth's surface result in?
-Belts of low and high pressure, which generate a three-dimensional pattern of winds -Winds that include easterlies, westerlies, and upper atmosphere winds such as the Jet Stream -A surplus of solar energy received in the tropics relative to high latitudes
The following statements are true:
-Coccolithophorids make their skeletons from calcium carbonate -Diatoms are composed of organic matter and silica skeletons -Dinoflagellates evolved before diatoms and coccolithophoris and have no mineral skeleton or test -Coccolithophorids, diatoms and dinoflagellates are examples of phytoplankton
The Coriolis effect plays a role in...
-Deflection of wind and ocean currents to the right in the N. hemisphere -Deflection of ocean currents to the left in the S. hemisphere -Trade Winds that blow east to west in both the N. and S. hemispheres -Formation of large-scale ocean currents called gyres***
Health of global marine fisheries:
-In 1976 the US joined other nations and forbid foreign vessels from fishing within 200 miles of our coastline -Sonar is used by large scale fishing fleets to locate schools of fish -The new England cod fishery
Red Tides:
-Indicate blooms of potentially toxic dinoflagellates -Occur mainly during the summer -Can be caused by or exacerbated by aquaculture
The Great North Pole Garbage Patch:
-Is held together in part by the North Pacific Gyre -Circulates in a clockwise direction
***Which factors promote phytoplankton growth and blooms?
-Light and upwelling of deepwater -Nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorous
***Why is there generally low pressure over the equator and high pressure at 30 degrees N and 30 degrees S?
-Lots of solar energy reaches the equator and warms up the air, causing it to rise -The equator receives a surplus of energy relative to polar regions, and this causes winds, in the upper atmosphere, that blow North and South away from the equator -Downward winds at 30 degrees N and 30 degrees S cause high pressure below them
How are objects deflected:
-Objects are deflected to the left in the southern hemisphere -Objects are deflected to the right in the northern hemisphere
There is more dissolved CO2 in oceanic deep water than in surface waters because:
-Organisms that respire produce CO2 in deep water -Photosynthesis in surface water uses CO2
What are examples of organic matter?
-Phytoplankton -Apples -Whales
What is true about the temperature-depth relationship for seawater?
-Tropical regions have the highest surface water temp. -Deep water has about the same temperature for each latitudinal zone.
The following are correct:
-UWA professor Carlos Duarate says mesopelagic fish constitute 95% of the world's fish biomass -The mesopelagic layer of the ocean is between 100 m and 1000 -The mesopelagic layer may play a significant role in the functioning of the ocean, affecting the flow of carbon and oxygen in the ocean... -Most mesopelagic species tend to feed near the surface at night, and move to deeper layers in the daytime to avoid birds
Winds blowing from south to north in the _____ hemisphere are deflected to the ____.
-Winds blowing from south to north in the northern hemisphere are deflected to the east -Winds blowing from south to north in the southern hemisphere are deflected to the west
Red tides may be caused by:
-a rapid surge of nutrients into the photic zone -longer days and more sunlight -warm water (which may increase reproduction rate)
***Large scale atmospheric winds and pressure systems:
-are part of the transport of heat from low to high latitudes -are influenced by the Coriolis effect -have a regular pattern related to rising and decending winds at certain latitudes
The ocean appears blue-green because...
-blue and green wavelengths penetrate more deeply and are reflected by water molecules -red light is absorbed at shallow depths in seawater
High salinity in North Altantic surface water is caused by:
-high pressure and clear skies around 30 degree N -strong geostrophic flow, which keeps water in the N Atlantic Gyre*** -evaporation
***Large scale gyres such as the North Atlantic Gyre:
-transport heat from the tropics to the poles -involve western boundary currents and eastern boundary currents -have a clockwise flow direction in the northern hemisphere
***What true about global wind patterns?
Easterly winds between the Equator and 30 deg N are caused by winds that blow south and are deflected by the Coriolis effect
World fish production has increased steadily for the past 50 years and advances in large-scale fishing techniques will likely allow fish catch to increase for another 50 years
F
Marine phytoplankton are photosynthetic organisms. In the photic zone of the ocean their growth rate is often limited by:
Availability of nutrients and light
Why don't the tropics boil and the poles freeze over?
Because it is transferred from the tropics to the poles
What is sigma t a measure of?
Density
There is more dissolved carbon dioxide in deepwater of the ocean than in ocean's surface waters because: a. Photosynthesis occurs primarily in deepwater b. Organisms that respire produce CO2 in deep water c. Photosynthesis in surface water uses C02 d. Deepwater is colder than shallow water and the solubility of CO2 is higher for colder water. e. All but A
E
Which of the following are correct? o A) If more solar energy is retained by earth than reflected or reradiated, earths atmosphere will warm o B) On average, about 30% of incoming solar radiation is reflected back to space without an impact on earth surface temperature o C) The sun radiates mostly short-wave energy (visible light), whereas the earth radiates long-wave energy (infared) o D) So-called greenhouse gases absorb long - wave energy in the atmosphere and cause temperature to increase. o A) If more solar energy is retained by earth than reflected or reradiated, earths atmosphere will warm o E) All of the above
E
Which of the following statements is correct about Earth? • A) Incoming energy from the sun is the primary means of heating the tropics • B) Heat transfer from low to high latitudes plays an important role in the pattern of ocean currents and large scale winds*** • C) Ocean currents and winds transfer heat from low to high latitudes • E) All of the above
E
When a red fish swims into deep water (below 200 m) what color does it appear to be?
Grey
***What are the three major circulation cells in each hemisphere (with the correct latitudes)?
Hadley (0,-30); Ferrel (30, -60); Polar (60, -90)
Hurricanes strengthen and gain energy by
Release of latent heat at high elevation within the eye, which causes air to warm-up and rise
Baleen Whales migrate large distances to feast in the Bering and Chukchi Seas when conditions are optimum for growth of plankton and krill
T
More gas can be dissolved in cold seawater than in warm seawater
T
Ocean Chemistry is a balance between inputs and outputs
T
Phytoplankton are photosynthetic algae (plants) that live in the ocean's photic zone and are an important source of energy (food) for nearly all ocean life
T
Rachel Carson suggested that rain and other factors weather the continents and that rivers deliver dissolved rock (including elements such as Na, Ca and Cl) to the world ocean, which would cause changes in ocean chemistry through time.
T
Seawater chemistry is influenced by rock weathering
T
The "Goldilocks Principle," as applied to the origin of water on Earth suggests that: 1) Earth has just the right position in the solar system -not too close to the Sun and not too far away-- and 2) When it was forming, Earth had just the right mass, large enough to retain water vapor.
T
The most abundant element dissolved in seawater is Cl! and The element sodium is present in table salt and it is dissolved in seawater!
T
Water molecules have polar (unequally distributed) charge that leads to many of water's unusual characteristics
T
***The room above shoes one convection cell that transports heat from left to right, with hot air moving to the right, above, and cold air moving to the left. What does that convection cell best represent, by analogy?
The Hadley cell
Today, oceanic deepwater is formed in:
The Weddel Sea and the Norwegien Greenland Sea
***Water piles up in the interior of a gyre, causing a slight surface slope and pressure gradient oriented toward the outside of the gyre. True or False?
True
The Coriolis Effect arises from conservation of momentum and Earth's rotation. True or False
True
True or False? Aquaculture represents a substantial and growing part of world fish production
True
True or False? Global oceanic circulation involving deep water and surface water motion acts to regulate Earth's surface heat and climate.
True
True or False? Phytoplankton productivity in north polar regions is highest in the summer and lower in the winter.
True
True or False? The energy cycle of life in the ocean involves plankton, which convert sunlight to organic matter. Organic matter is eventually broken down by bacteria and other organisms. This recycles the nutrients for further plankton growth.
True
In Earth's southern hemisphere:
Western boundary currents in the ocean bring warm water southward and winds rotate clockwise around low pressure system
It's game day, and you want to keep your Pepsi cold as long as possible! You should fill your cooler with:
a material with high heat capacity
Solar energy received at earth's surface is high in the zones centered around about 20 degrees N and S because:
there areas are generally clear and not covered by clouds
The statement "Water in the world ocean came from Earth's interior!" is...
falsifiable and reasonable
Phosphate has a shorter residence time than most major elements in seawater because...
it is cycled very rapidly by organisms because it is essiential to their metabolism
Which side of the room represents the equator?
left
***The coriolis effect causes water to...
pile up in the center of gyres
Consider: two identical pots, filled with equal masses of fluid, on identical burners on a stove. Pot A is filled with a fluid of low heat capacity Pot B is filled with a fluid of high heat capacity After a time.....
the material in pot A has reached higher temp.
The concentration of dissolved oxygen in seawater is, in part, determined by:
water temp., water salinity, relative amount of respiration, relative amount of photosynthesis
Is the following a correct association? Salinity and halocline, densilty and pycnocline, and temperature and thermocline
yes
Is the ocean is stratified (layered) with the densest water below and less dense water above?
yes, true
The following are all true
• One possible solution to overfishing is to assign fishing rights and trade them like pollution credits • Fishing rights are already being used for pacific halibut and striped bass • New Zeland has a system of fishing rights in place • Fisherman in several coastal regions of Spain have developed a system...
