Oceanography Chapter 1
One of the reasons that free oxygen in our atmosphere is important to the development and maintenance of life on Earth is because oxygen ________.
can form ozone and block some UV radiation
Earth's primordial atmosphere most likely included ________.
carbon dioxide, water vapour, sulfur dioxide, and methane
The European "Age of Discovery" ended with ________.
Ferdinand Magellan's circumnavigation of the globe
A tentative, testable statement about the general nature of a phenomenon is called a/an ________.
Hypothesis
The separation of the Earth into layers while it was molten was the result of the ________.
differing densities of the elements that make up the Earth
Which ocean was considered by 14th century Europeans to be one of the seven seas?
The Indian Ocean
Which of the following modern seven seas was also recognized by pre-15th century Europeans as one of their seven seas?
The Indian Ocean
Which ocean is the deepest ocean in the world?
The Pacific Ocean
Which ocean's name comes from a word meaning peace?
The Pacific Ocean
Which ocean is actually a part of three other oceans?
The Southern Ocean
Most of the explorations by northern and western Europeans during the Middle (Dark) Ages were undertaken by
Vikings of Scandinavia
Radioactive materials can sometimes be used to determine the
age of rocks
The nebular hypothesis suggests that ________.
all bodies in the solar system formed from an enormous gas cloud
Which of the following statements about the Pacific Ocean is TRUE?
all of the continents could fit into the space occupied by the Pacific Ocean
Oceanic crust is primarily ________.
basalt
Current scientific knowledge indicates that the most likely origin of most of Earth's oceans was due to ________.
water vapour released from volcanic outgassing
Earth is about ________.
4.6 billion years old
The average depth of the world's oceans is approximately ________.
3,682 meters (12080 feet)
Archeological evidence suggests that boat technology was developed about ________ years ago.
50,000
Which of the following statements regarding continental and oceanic crust is TRUE?
Continental crust is thicker and less dense than oceanic crust
The four principal ocean basins (plus an additional ocean) on Earth are the ________
Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Southern, and Arctic Oceans
The European "Age of Discovery" began with ________.
Christopher Columbus' discovery of the "New World"
Which of the following parts of Polynesia was populated last?
Easter Island
The first person we are aware of who determined the circumference of the Earth using trigonometry and the angle of sunlight at Alexandria, Egypt, was _
Eratosthenes
The Sun and the rest of the solar system formed about 5 billion years ago from a huge cloud of dust and gas called a
Nebula
The largest of the ocean basins, which currently covers more than half of the ocean surface, is the ________.
Pacific Ocean
The first humans from Western Hemisphere known to have developed the art of navigation were the ________.
Phoenicians
The method of determining latitude in the Northern Hemisphere by measuring the angle between an observer's line of site to the North Star and line of site to the northern horizon was developed by
Pytheas
Based on definition, it is more appropriate to consider which ocean as a sea?
The Arctic Ocean
Which ocean is the shallowest ocean in the world?
The Arctic Ocean
Which ocean is similar in size and average depth to the Indian Ocean?
The Atlantic Ocean
Which ocean is mostly, but not entirely, in the southern hemisphere?
The Indian Ocean
Which of the following is TRUE concerning the deepest part of the ocean?
The depth of this trench exceeds the height of Mount Everest
Plate tectonics and evolution, which are held with a high degree of confidence because of rigorous testing and verification, are examples of ________.
Theories
The study of the structure of the sea floor and how the sea floor has changed through time is an example of ________ oceanography.
geological
The mechanism by which populations evolve and new species develop is called ________.
natural selection
The study of the transmission of light and sound in the oceans is an example of ________ oceanography.
physical
Our world ocean can be divided into four principal oceans plus an additional ocean, based on the ________ of the ocean basins and the ________ of the continents.
shape; position
Which ocean covers more than half of the ocean surface area on Earth?
the Pacific Ocean
Which ocean is the single largest geographic feature on the planet?
the Pacific Ocean
