Oceanography Quizzes

Which of the following statements regarding continental and oceanic crust is TRUE?

Continental crust is less dense than oceanic crust. WRONG

Surface ocean circulation is driven primarily by _______ and modified by ________.

density differences; differences in salinity and temperature WRONG wind; gravity and density

An estuary in a former glaciated valley now flooded with seawater is a:

fjord

Which of the following contains calcium carbonate (CaCO3) and makes up calcareous ooze when they die and sink to the bottom of the ocean?

foraminiferans

Sea ice is formed by ______________ and icebergs are formed by _______________.

freezing of ocean water, breaking up of a glacier

Which of the following are considered hard stabilization?

groin

Large, circular loops of moving seawater are called:

gyres

Productivity in tropical oceans

is limited by the thermocline which prevents mixing of the water

A salt wedge:

is stratification that occurs when seawater encounters freshwater in an estuary.

Which of the following are not considered planktonic

jelly fish WRONG

what powers a hurricane?

latent heat

Meroplanktonic organisms

live on the ocean floor WRONG

Which of the following are not considered benthic

lobsters WRONG

Compared with a solar day, a lunar day is:

longer than a solar day

Which caudal fin is paired incorrectly with its function?

lunate fin: fast moving, propulsion WRONG heterocaudal fin: provides lift WRONG

Hydrogen bonds form between hydrogen and oxygen atoms in water as a result of the:

polarity of water molecules

hich of the following is the most pressing environmental problem facing the oceans?

pollution

In primary production:

proteins are made by animals. WRONG

Which of the following contains silica (SiO2) and makes up siliceous ooze when they die and sink to the bottom?

radiolarians

The fetch refers to:

the distance over which wind blows without interruption

Which of the following organisms is not a primary producer?

zoea

Waves become parallel to shore due to:

wave refraction

The major force bringing continental sediments to the pelagic regions is:

wind

How many species are currently known to science?

1.8 million

Which of the following would be an unstable system?

10 ºC salty water on top of 20 ºC salty water

A full lunar tidal cycle is:

24 hours and 50 minutes in duration

The average salinity of sea water is:

35 ppt (3.5%)

According to Ekman theory, the average upper ocean current flow generated by winds is at a

45 degree angle to the right of the wind in the Northern Hemisphere

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

All of the above (deeper current increased current velocity narrower current)

Which of the following provides evidence for continental drift?

All of the above (distribution of fossils orientation of Earth's magnetic field formation and composition of mountain ranges)

What is the Coriolis Effect?

An apparent force that causes moving objects on earth to follow curved paths

Which of the following is not a method used to measure or track surface ocean currents?

Anemometers

Which of the following statements regarding pH is not true?

As a whole, the pH of the ocean is slightly acidic.

The four principle oceans of the Earth are the:

Atlantic, Arctic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans.

The loop current:

B and C (brings warm water into the Gulf of Mexico can cause hurricane intensification)

Old lithosphere is destroyed in association with:

Deep sea trenches

Reversal of trade winds in the equatorial Pacific are associated with the phenomenon known as

El Nino

Which correctly uses binomial nomenclature

Homo sapiens

Which of the following hypothesis about the early development of the Earth's oceans, atmosphere and life does not make scientific sense?

Primitive life required high oxygen levels in the atmosphere. ?

Intraplate earthquakes are caused by

Weak spots or ancient rifts resulting from movement of plates

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

Upwelling

Which of the following can explain the formation of coral atolls?

Volcanic eruptions kill coral closest to the island. WRONG Coral has a circular growth pattern WRONG

Which of the following describes the relationship between density, temperature and/or salinity?

Warm, surface water is less dense than deeper, cooler water

Which of the following is not a method used by oceanographers to determine the bathymetry of the ocean?

YSI probes ?

Volcanic arcs are present

above subduction zones.

The most gradual change in slope in the ocean can be found at the:

abyssal plain

The nebular hypothesis suggests that:

all bodies in the solar system formed from an enormous gas cloud.

All of the following are shallow-water waves except:

all of the above

As waves approach shore

all of the above

Global wind patterns are a product of

all of the above

Which of the following characterizes the pesticide DDT and industrial chemicals such as PCBs?

all of the above

Which of the following organisms make up biogenous sediment?

all of the above (coccolithophores diatoms foraminiferans radiolarians)

One major problem associated with the Chesapeake Bay due to increased human pressure is:

an increase in nutrients resulting in more frequent kills of bottom-dwelling or benthic animals.

An internal wave might form:

at a density boundary within the ocean

Winds blowing from the north in the southern hemisphere will appear to:

be deflected towards the east

Winds blowing from the north in the northern hemisphere will appear to:

be deflected towards the east WRONG

More ocean species are:

benthic

Sediment coming from the remains of living organisms is

biogenous

The toxicity of marine pollutants is evaluated through bioassays by:

calculating the concentration at which 50% of the test organisms die.

Which of the following sediment types has the smallest grain size?

clay

Which of the following is false in terms of sediment maturity?

clay content increases (it decreases)

A superposition of two identical waves such the resultant wave is twice the height of the individual waves is an example of

constructive interference

The steepest change in slope in the ocean can be found at the

continental shelf WRONG

All of the following are examples of zooplankton except

cyanobacteria

Thermohaline circulation is driven by:

density

Ocean waves might form:

density boundary within the ocean

All of the following are lithogenous sediments except:

diatom ooze.

Global wind patterns (wind belts) are primarily caused by

differential solar heating at different latitudes

The separation of the Earth into layers was the result of the:

differing densities of the rock and mineral materials.

The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is an example of a:

divergent boundary

Which of the following would lead to downwelling:

diverging surface currents

Which is the correct hierarchical order from most inclusive (largest) to most exclusive (smallest)

domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, family WRONG

Where does most of the sand involved in longshore transport in beach compartments eventually end up?

down submarine canyons

What process creates lithogenous sediments?

erosion of rock from land

Which of the following processes increases the salinity of ocean water?

evaporation

Barrier reefs are situated along the shore and lack a lagoon.

false

Hydrothermal vents and volcanoes have a significant impact on ocean salinity.

false

Solar radiation does not vary with latitude.

false

The deepest portions of the ocean are part of the relatively narrow features called submarine canyons.

false

The ocean has greater species diversity than the terrestrial environment.

false

An iceberg is a variety of sea ice.

false?

Which property of water would make it warmer than sand at the beach on a cool October night?

high heat capacity

If the side of the Earth that faces the moon experiences a high tide, then the side of the Earth that is opposite from the moon will have a/an:

high tide

When ice forms from seawater, the remaining seawater will have a:

higher salinity

Bioremediation has been particularly effective in marine ecosystems in the clean-up of:

hydrocarbons

Manganese nodules belong to

hydrogenous sediments

Sediment coming from a river that is draining into the ocean is

hydrous WRONG

Moving from oceanic ridge to oceanic trench, the age of the seafloor:

increases

As a wave begins to feel bottom near a shoreline, its wave height:

increases and wavelength decreases WRONG increases and frequency decreases.

Which of the following is not a predicted consequence of global warming?

increasing flooding of coastal deltas

In terms of erosion protection from wave action, seawalls:

innefective

The ____________ lies between the low and high tides

intertidal zone

The movement of sand parallel to the shoreline

is all of the above

Coral reefs have endosymbionts called zooxanthellae. This type of symbiosis is known as

mutualism

An excess of which of the following would most likely be associated with the formation of a dead zone?

nitrogen

Deep ocean water generally has high amounts of:

nutrients and oxygen

Which of the following is not an adaptation in pelagic organisms to avoid predators

parasitism

The time between two successive waves is called the:

period

Most of the oxygen (O2) in our atmosphere originated from:

photosynthetic organisms

All of the following are examples of pollutants in the marine environment except:

phytoplankton

In primary production:

phytoplankton produce sugars that serve as the base of the food web.

Fast, narrow currents flowing across the surf zone toward the open ocean are called:

rip currents

If a groin were built into the ocean (perpendicular to the beach), how would it affect the distribution of sand on either side of the groin?

sand upcoast of groin would deposit; sand downcoast of groin would erode

The correct order of sea floor features from the coast to the mid-ocean ridge is:

shelf, slope, rise, abyssal plain.

A linear ridge of sediment attached to land at one end might be called a:

spit

Deep ocean trenches are associated with:

subduction zones

An estuary produced by faulting or folding of rocks creating a dropped-down section into which a river flows is called a:

techtonic estuary

A tsunami may result from:

tectonic activity on the seafloor

How does water move in the longshore current?

zigzag movement along shore

A rapid change in ocean temperature with change in depth is the:

thermocline

Many benthic organisms are broadcast spawners. What does this mean?

they release egg and sperm into the water

All of the following are examples of erosional shoreline formations except:

tombolo

A summer beach typically has more sediment on it than a winter beach.

true

Biomagnification results in substances, including toxic chemicals, to move up food chains and become concentrated in the tissues of larger animals.

true

Bioremediation involves the use of microorganisms to degrade pollutants such as crude oil.

true

Deep ocean currents often move cold, dense water away from the poles.

true

The latent heat of vaporization of water is greater than the latent heat of melting.

true

Trenches change their position over time.

true

Spring tide occurs about:

twice per month

An area that experiences semidiurnal tides will have:

two high tides and two low tides of nearly equal height daily.

Turbidity currents are

underwater currents that erode submarine canyons.

Chemosynthesis

using energy from inorganic compounds to produce organic compounds

A spring tide:

very high high tides and very low low tides

The Bay of Fundy is well known for which tidal characteristic?

very high tidal range

Passive continental margins are characterized by all of the following except:

very little volcanic and earthquake activity. WRONG

All of the following are true of the Earth's climate except:

warm air is less dense than cool air so it tends to sink toward the Earth's surface.

The Wedge in Newport Beach California is an example of

wave reflection