PSCI final

Which of the following statements is true of surface ocean currents?

Surface currents form circular patterns in the major ocean basins called "gyres."

The average salinity of typical seawater is:

3.5%

Latent heat is the quantity of heat gained or lost as a substance undergoes a:

change in state

Canary Current:

cold current, northern hemisphere, temperate latitudes

Benguela Current:

cold current, southern hemisphere, temperate latitudes

At high latitudes, abundant precipitation and runoff from melting of freshwater icebergs both increase salinity (true/false):

false

In distillation, saltwater is highly pressurized to drive water molecules through a membrane to remove salts (true/false):

false

Processes that decrease seawater salinity include evaporation and sea ice formation (true/false):

false

Surface currents affect about 90% of the world's ocean water: (true/false)

false

Surface ocean currents are vertical currents in the water column that are density-driven: (true/false)

false

Surface or wind-driven currents move water primarily in a vertical direction in the ocean: (true/false)

false

The Gulf Stream moves water away from the equator, the Benguela Current moves some of this same water back toward the equator (true/false):

false

The West Wind Drift occurs at 60 degrees N around the Arctic Circle (true/false):

false

The autumnal equinox occurs when the Sun is directly overhead along the equator in March (true/false):

false

The density of seawater is slightly lower than the density of pure water (true/false):

false

The maximum Coriolis effect occurs at the equator due to slower rotational velocity compared to higher latitudes (true/false):

false

The place traced by Earth's orbit is called the vernal equinox (true/false):

false

The trade winds can be found between 30 degrees and 60 degrees N and S latitudes (true/false):

false

Thermohaline circulation is wind-driven (true/false):

false

Water can pile up higher than the edge of a container due to its low surface tension (true/false):

false

Within the troposphere, the atmosphere gets warmer with increasing altitudes (true/false):

false

During winter months, monsoon winds over the Indian Ocean:

flow from land to sea and are dry

Bonds that hold adjacent water molecules together:

hydrogen bonds

The boundary between the troposphere and stratosphere:

tropopause

Tropic of Cancer:

located at 23.5 degrees N latitude

The lowermost portion of the atmosphere where most weather occurs is called the:

troposphere

A Doppler flow meter is a scientific instrument used to measure current flow rates: (true/false)

true

As a whole, the pH of the ocean is slightly alkaline (true/false):

true

Deep ocean currents often move cold, dense water away from the poles (true/false):

true

Deep ocean water can be enriched in oxygen when it is mixed with surface water (true/false):

true

Deep ocean water masses have characteristic temperatures and salinities (true/false):

true

Deep-ocean water contains more carbon dioxide than surface water because deep water is colder and has the ability to dissolve more gases (true/false):

true

Downwelling may be the result of winds blowing parallel to a coastline or the convergence of surface currents (true/false):

true

Dynamic topography can be used to determine current direction and velocity: (true/false)

true

Evaporation causes cooling in a liquid left behind. (true/false):

true

Except for the water itself, the chloride ion is the most abundant constituent in seawater (true/false):

true

Independent of the actual salinity, the ratios or proportions of the major dissolved constituents of seawater such as chloride, sodium, and magnesium are relatively constant (true/false):

true

Near the poles, more energy is reflected back into space than is absorbed (true/false):

true

Precipitation, runoff, melting icebergs, and sea ice formation all decrease salinity (true/false):

true

The Coriolis effect describes how moving objects on Earth appear to follow curved paths due to Earth's rotation (true/false)

true

The circular movement of surface water currents driven by the major wind belts are called gyres: (true/false)

true

The doldrums can be found at the Equator (true/false):

true

The five subtropical gyres exhibit geostropic flow, related to pressure gradients, friction, and the Coriolis effect (true/false)

true

The heat capacity of liquid water is 1 calorie per gram per degree C. (true/false):

true

The latent heat of vaporization of water is larger than the latent heat of melting (true/false)

true

The main current in the Antarctic water is the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, also called the West Wind Drift: (true/false)

true

The overall electrical charge of most atoms is balanced, because each atom contains an equal number of protons and electrons (true/false):

true

The percentage of incident light radiation reflected back to space is termed albedo (true/false):

true

Warm air can hold more water vapor than cold air (true/false):

true

Water molecules exhibit strong cohesion (true/false):

true

Western boundary currents such as the Gulf Stream transport warm water from the tropics towards higher altitudes (true/false):

true

Which of the following is true of surface water circulation near Antarctica?

Two circumpolar currents dominate it, one current that moves water to the east and one current that moves water to the west.

The amount of energy that is necessary to raise the temperature of one gram of water by one degree C is the definition of:

calorie

Equatorial currents are driven by the:

trade winds

Picture- The polar front is labeled number:

1.

The average albedo of Earth's surface is about:

30%

Picture- The area of the globe (latitude) that is characterized by falling air masses and little precipitation is labeled number:

6.

Picture- Variable winds that result in generally clear, dry, and fair conditions with minimal precipitation are labeled number:

6.

Which does not belong? A. California Current B. Canary Current C. Gulf Stream D. North Atlantic Current E. North Equatorial Current in the Atlantic Ocean

A. California Current

Which does not belong? A. Gulf of Alaska B. Indian C. North Atlantic D. South Atlantic E. South Pacific

A. Gulf of Alaska

Compared to an eastern boundary current in a gyre, which of the following statements is true for a western boundary current?

All the above statements are true of the western boundary currents

The arrangement of water masses in the southern Atlantic Ocean from the surface to the bottom is:

Antarctic Intermediate Water, North Atlantic Deep Water, Antarctic Bottom Water

Which does not belong? A. nitrogen B. albedo C. oxygen D. troposphere E. water vapor

B. albedo

Which does not belong? A. desalination B. solar distillation C. pycnocline D. electrolytes E. reverse osmosis

C. pycnocline

The apparent deflection of air masses to the right or left (depending on latitude) as they move from one latitude to another is called the:

Coriolis effect

Which does not belong? A. therohaline circulation B. density-driven circulation C. Antarctic Bottom Water D. Kuroshio Current E. North Atlantic Deep Water

D. Kuroshio Current

Which does not belong? A. Gulf Stream B. Kuroshio Current C. North Equatorial Current D. Peru Current E. Somali Current

D. Peru Current

Which does not belong? A. sodium ion B. calcium ion C. potassium ion D. hydrogen ion E. magnesium ion

D. hydrogen ion

Which does not belong? A. temperature B. salinity C. thermocline D. pycnocline E. distillation

E. distillation

Which does not belong? A. Australian drought B. decreased fish stock in coastal Peru C. flooding rains in southeastern U.S. D. Peruvian upwelling stops E. strong trade winds

E. strong trade winds

Which of the following is not an eastern boundary current?

Gulf Stream

The ion in sea water that serves as a buffer is:

HCO3

A beaker contains a mixture of ice and pure liquid water at 0 C. What happens to the temperature of the liquid water as heat is added?

It remains constant until the ice melts, and then it begins to rise.

Western intensification causes:

all the above effects are the result of western intensification

Inter-tropical Convergence Zone:

area where warm, moist air rises close to the equator

Basic building blocks of all matter:

atoms

Winds blowing out of the north toward the south in the southern hemisphere will appear to:

be deflected toward the east

Rising and sinking air masses moving in a circular fashion:

convection cell

Bonds that involve the sharing of electrons between atoms:

covalent bonds

In the troposphere, air temperature generally:

decreases with increasing altitude above the Earth's surface

Deep ocean currents are driven primarily by ______.

density differences

Thermohaline circulation is driven by:

density differences

The worldwide effects of El Nino include all the following except:

drought in the U.S. Gulf coastal states

An eastern boundary current is generally narrow and swift (true/false):

false

Negatively charged subatomic particles that orbit an atomic nucleus:

electrons

All the following processes decrease the salinity of water except:

evaportion

Which type of current flow moves in a circular path around a subtropical convergence, reflecting Ekman transport, gravity, and the Coriolis Effect?

geostrophic circulation

The intensity of solar radiation received at lower latitudes (near the equator) compared to high latitudes (near the poles) is:

greater

Layer of the ocean that experiences a rapid change in salinity with depth:

halocline

Water can pile up a short distance above a container's rim due to:

high surface tension

The transfer of water between the atmosphere, the oceans, and the continents is known as the:

hydrologic cycle

Many of the unusual properties of water are attributed to the fact that water:

is a polar molecule

Downwelling:

movement of water from the top to the bottom of the water column

The two most abundant components of dry air are:

nitrogen and oxygen

Gulf Stream:

northern hemisphere, temperate latitudes, warm current

Kuroshio Current:

northern hemisphere, temperate latitudes, warm current

All of the following are methods used to desalinate water except:

osmosis

Trade winds:

prevailing wind pattern at tropical latitudes

A layer in the ocean where a rapid change in ocean density occurs with a change in depth is called a:

pycnocline

The covalent bonds that form between hydrogen and oxygen atoms in a water molecule form as a result of the:

sharing of electrons between the atoms

Change in state from solid to gas:

sublimation

The Sun reaches its most northerly point in the sky, directly overhead along the Tropic of Cancer, during the:

summer solstice

The states of matter in which water exists is primarily determined by:

temperature

All are true of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current except:

the Antarctic Circumpolar Current contributes to the development of Antarctic bottom water in the Weddell Sea

Hydrogen bonds form between neighboring water molecules because of:

the polarity of water molecules

The Principle of Constant Proportions states that:

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

The Ekman spiral is caused by:

the wind and the Coriolis effect

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

to the right of their original direction

Surface waters are pushed away from land and replaced by nutrient-rich bottom water through:

upwelling

All of the following are true of the movement of the Earth's atmosphere except:

warm air is less dense than cool air so it tend to sink towards the Earth's surface

Geostrophic current:

water flow driven by gravity and modified by the Coriolis force

A tropical maritime air mass is likely to be:

wet and warm