Our Ocean
which of the following is an eastern boundary current
canary current
One of the driving forces of atmospheric circulation is:
earth's uneven solar heating
el Nino results due to an interruption of flow of the ___ current in the pacific
equatorial
which of the following is one way to increase seawater salinity
evaporation
the period of wind waves is usually expressed in __
feet or meters
Water rushing into an enclosed area because of the rise in sea level as a tide crest approaches is called ____.
flood current
The polar easterly winds blow in which of the following directions in the Northern Hemisphere?
from northeast to southwest
The trade winds blow in which of the following directions in the Northern Hemisphere?
from northeast to southwest
the prevailing westerly winds blow in which of the following directions in the southern hemisphere
from northwest to southeast
The polar easterly winds blow in which of the following directions in the southern Hemisphere?
from southeast to northwest
The trade winds blow in which of the following directions in the southern Hemisphere?
from southeast to northwest
the prevailing westerly winds blow in which of the following directions in the northern hemisphere
from southwest to northeast
Winds generally move across the United States:
from west to east
a tsunami may result from
tectonic activity on the seafloor
The ocean is stratified with respect to
temperature and salinity
earth's rotation influences currents by a "force" known as ___
the Coriolis Effect
which of the following best defines heat capacity
the amount of heat energy required to raise the temperature of a substance by 1 degree Celsius
Cold currents flowing ________ on the ________ sides of continents produce arid conditions.
toward the equator; western
The dependable surface winds of Earth centered at about 15° north and south latitudes are called the ____.
trade winds
Surface ocean currents are driven primarily by ________ and modified by ________.
wind; the Coriolis effect and land
The primary force responsible for surface currents is ____.
wind
which of the following is a western boundary current
Brazil current
according to the figure showing global wind belts and boundaries, the westerlies wind belt are in/at
30 to 60 degrees
the average salinity of the world ocean is about
35%
what is the latitude for the trade winds?
5-30 degrees
about what percentage does water expand when it freezes
9%
which statement is true concerning a lunar day
A lunar day represents the time between when the moon is highest in the sky and the next time it is highest in the sky.
What allows ice to float?
Density of ice is lower than the density of liquid water
which circulation cells are between 30 and 60 degrees latitude
Ferrell cell
the largest of the western boundary currents is the
Gulf Stream
which statement best characterizes neap tides
Neap tides occur when the moon, Earth and sun form a right angle.
Where do most tsunamis occur?
Pacific Ocean
Judge the following sentence according to the criteria given below: the temperatures across the Atlantic at different latitudes are much higher in Europe than in North American because of the effects of heat transfer from the gulf stream
The assertion and the reason are both correct, and the reason is valid.
what is thermal inertia
The propensity for a substance to resist temperature changes
which of the following statements is true about an ekman spiral
an ekman spiral is not influenced by the Coriolis Effect
constructive interference in waves can cause
an occasional wave greater than any noted before or after its occurrence
Winds blowing out of the north toward the south in the southern hemisphere will appear to:
be deflected toward the east
In shallow water, the motion of water particles
becomes a back-and-forth motion near the bottom
when liquid water gets below 4C, it
begins to decrease in density by expanding
Compared to western boundary currents, eastern boundary currents are:
broad and slow
Currents tend to move in large ____ patterns in the northern hemisphere
clockwise
Compared to an eastern boundary current in a gyre, which of the following statements is true for a western boundary current?
deeper currents, increased current velocity, warmer water, and narrower current are all true of western boundary currents
deep ocean currents are driven primarily by ____, which surface ocean currents are driven primarily by ____
differences in salinity and temperature; wind and the Coriolis Effect
A tide pattern of one high and one low each day describes a
dinural tide
The side of the Earth facing the moon will experience a high tide, while the opposite side of the Earth will have a:
high tide also
In comparison to most other liquids, the heat capacity of liquid water is:
higher than other liquids
When the sun, moon, and Earth are all in a line, the ____.
highest high and lowest low tides will occur
what type of bond enables water molecules to stick together
hydrogen bond
Heat can be carried to the polar regions ____.
in ocean currents from the tropics
density ____ as temperature ____ because the molecules lose energy and slow down, so the same number of molecules occupy less space
increases; decreases
the density of seawater increases when the salinity _____ and when the temperature _____
increases; increases
A beaker contains a mixture of ice and pure liquid water at 0C. What happens to the temperature of the liquid water as heat is added?
it reminds constant until the ice melts, then it begins to rise
Deep-water currents move ________ volumes of water and are much ________ than surface currents.
larger; slower
warm air is _____ dense, so it ______. Cool air is ______ dense; so it ______.
less; rises; more; sinks
water particles in a deep-water wave ___
move in circular orbits
if you were standing on top of a high mid-pacific island at 15 degrees north latitude, from which direction would you expect the wind to come?
northeast
the hydrogen atoms in a water molecule tend to bond to
oxygen atoms of another water molecule
Hydrogen bonds form between neighboring water molecules because of
polarity of water molecules
Warm currents flowing ________ on the ________ sides of continents produce warm, humid conditions.
poleward; eastern
the density of seawater will increase when
salinity increases
a tsunami is considered to be a
shallow water wave
the two most abundant elements (ions) dissolved in seawater are
sodium and chloride
Upwelling areas are ____.
sometimes depleted of nutrients during El Niño years
when an ENSO event occurs, warm equatorial waters flow ___ in the equatorial pacific
south
The type of tide associated with the full and new moons are:
spring tides
which of the following statements is true of surface ocean currents
surface currents form circular patterns in the major ocean basins called "gyres"
the fetch refers to
the distance over which the wind blows without interruption
which of the following best describes latent heat
the energy needed to break the intermolecular bonds that hold molecules in place
the primary forces that cause tides in the sea are
the gravitational attraction of the moon and the sun
The Principle of Constant Proportions states that:
the relative concentrations of the major ions in seawater does not change.
When a tsunami reaches shore,
the wave height greatly increases
the ekman spiral is caused by
the wind and the Coriolis effect.
there are ___ major atmospheric circulation cells in each hemisphere of earth
three
the difference between high water and lower water is the
tidal range
As a result of the Coriolis effect in the northern hemisphere, winds always are deflected:
to the right of their original direction
the Coriolis effect causes objects moving in the northern hemisphere to veer off course ___
to the right, or clockwise when viewed from above
gyres move in a clockwise rotation in the northern hemisphere delivering ____ surface currents along the east coast and ____ surface currents along the west coast of continents
warm; cool
when waves approach the shore, a series of changes takes place. one change is that the
wave crest becomes peaked
the vertical distance between a wave crest and a wave trough is called the
wave height
the ratio of wave height to wavelength is called the
wave steepness
in deep water waves the water depth is greater than the ___ divided by two
wavelength
the distance measured from trough to trough or crest to crest of a wave is called the
wavelength
the horizontal distance between wave crest to crest is called the
wavelength
the longer the ____, the faster a deep-water wave travels
wavelength
the speed of a deep-water wave is proportional to
wavelength
The speed of a deep-water wave is proportional to _____ while the speed of a shallow-water wave is proportional to ____
wavelength; wave depth
the Gulf Stream is an example of which of the following types of currents
western boundary current
Generally the fastest and deepest ocean currents are:
western boundary currents
how does water dissolve sodium chloride (NaCl)
when seawater evaporates, its ionic components combine to dissolve table salt
Slack water occurs ____.
when the current is changing direction
