OEAS 106 Final Review

What is the basis for life in the hydrothermal vent community?

Chemosynthetic organisms

What is the idea that living things can capture, store and transmit energy; reproduce; adapt to their environment; and change over time?

Definition of life

What factor determines which plate is subducted at a subduction zone?

Density

What can occur when organisms are exposed to air and sunlight?

Desiccation

Which of the following are most often responsible for harmful algal blooms?

Dinoflagellates

The Mid-Atlantic ridge is an example of a:

Divergent boundary

Which of the following contains silica (SiO2)?

radiolarians

How much physical factors such as temperature and salinity affect organisms is determined by the:

range of tolerance of the organisms

Surface ocean currents are driven primarily by ________ and modified by ________.

wind; the Coriolis effect and land

Most ocean waves form as a result of:

winds blowing across the ocean surface.

The cyanobacteria Trichodesmium is unique compared to other autotrophs because:

It has the ability to fix inorganic nitrogen into a usable organic form

What is a community?

A group of interacting organisms of different species

What do many deep water organisms use for feeding and the attraction of mates?

Bioluminescence

The hydrothermal vent type with the greatest mineral content is:

Black smoker

Zooplankton diel vertical migration is evolutionarily advantageous because

Both A and B (It allows zooplankton to avoid visual predators & It lowers the metabolism of zooplankton)

The viscosity of a fluid is determined by:

Both A and B (Temperature & Composition)

__________ is the natural process that keeps the ocean from becoming too acidic or too basic.

Buffering

Spring tide Flood current Neap tide Tidal bore Ebb current

C. Highest tidal range in the lunar cycle B. Water moving in towards shore due to approaching high tide A. Smallest tidal range in the lunar cycle D. Steep wave front surging up a river as a result of tides E. Water moving out of an inlet due to approaching low tide

The Redfield ratio of 106:16:1 is the normal ratio of which elements in the water and within phytoplankton

Carbon:Nitrogen:Phosphorus

The movement of air from a high-pressure area to a low-pressure area is referred to as what?

Wind

The depth at which the cellular respiration rate equals the photosynthetic rate is referred to as the:

compensation depth.

Overproduction of organic matter resulting in anoxic conditions is attributed to:

eutrophication.

The height of a wave depends upon:

fetch, wind duration, and wind speed.

A cold air mass moving into an area occupied by relatively warm air is called a/an:

cold front.

What is a more accurate term for the feeding relationship of organisms?

Food web

An organism that tolerates a wide range of salinities is referred to as:

euryhaline.

Sediments found on continental margins are called:

neritic.

The percentage of euphotic zone biomass that reaches the deep ocean floor is approximately:

1%.

Refer to the figure below to answer the following question. Along a rocky shore, the spray zone is indicated by the number:

1.

The efficiency of trophic transfers in ecosystems is on average around:

10%.

What percentage of the winds energy is transferred to the ocean's surface?

2%

Earth's axis of rotation is tilted at an angle of:

23.5°.

Refer to the figure below detailing wave characteristics. Use the information on the figure to answer the following question. The wavelength is labeled with the number:

3.

For a sediment to be considered a biogenic ooze, what minimum percentage must be biological material?

30%

Refer to the figure below detailing wave characteristics. Use the information on the figure to answer the following question. The trough of the wave corresponds to the number:

5.

Refer to the figure below to answer the following question. Within the intertidal zone, the area that receives equal amounts of air exposure and water coverage is indicated by the number:

5.

What is the average surface pH of the ocean?

8.1

Euphotic Aphotic Disphotic

A. The zone of the ocean where there is enough light for photosynthesis C. The zone of the ocean where there is no light B. The zone of the ocean where there is light, but not enough for photosynthesis

Precipitation Evaporation Runoff Input of suspended sediment Sea ice formation

A. decreases seawater salinity C. increases seawater salinity A. decreases seawater salinity B. does not change seawater salinity C. increases seawater salinity

The change of water from a liquid to a gas involves:

Absorption of heat

The first person to advance the idea of mobile continents or continental drift was:

Alfred Wegener.

The central idea for the thory of evolution is

All life forms that exist today are decendants of life forms that existed in the past

Satellites are used to map the ocean floor because:

All of the above statements are correct.

Which of the following is designed to prevent or retard shoreline erosion?

All of these are used to try to prevent or retard shoreline erosion.

Why are phytoplankton critical for marine life?

All of these choices (They are able to bind billions of tons of carbon into carbohydrates, They are a large contribution to marine food webs & They generate massive amounts of atmospheric oxygen)

What is a heterotroph?

An organism that eats other organisms

Multicellular, eukaryotic organisms that range in complexity from simple sponges to complex vertebrates belong to the kingdom:

Animalia.

Some ________ are considered to be extremophiles.

Archaea

The smallest of the oceans, mostly enclosed by land is:

Arctic

There are areas on Earth that show magnetic north pointing in various directions. These rocks are the same age. What is the most plausible explanation for this?

At the time of formation, the rocks were in different positions, all orienting towards magnetic north. As the continents have moved, the rocks have moved with them from their original positions.

The four principal ocean basins (plus an additional ocean) on Earth are the:

Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Southern, and Arctic Oceans.

The nutrients that tend to limit photosynthesis in marine environments include:

B and C are correct. (nitrogen. & phosphorus.)

Bacteria Copepod Algae Flounder Kelp

B. Decomposer A. Consumer C. Producer A. Consumer C. Producer

Downwelling Ekman transport Geostrophic current Upwelling

B. Movement of water from the top to the bottom of the water column C. Net water movement to the left or the right of the direction of the wind A. Water flow driven by gravity and modified by the Coriolis force D. Movement of water from the bottom to the top of the water column

Oceanic crust is dominantly composed of which rock type?

Basalt

What pigment most often traps light energy in primary producers?

Chlorophyll

What is considered the most advanced animal phyla?

Chordata

What area of the ocean floor usually has the thickest sediment deposits?

Continental shelf

What part of the continents was determined to the best "fit" when considering evidence for continental drift?

Continental shelf

Why don't storms over land have as much energy as those over oceans?

Convection currents intensified by the latent heat of condensation

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.

A water molecule contains two small hydrogen atoms and one large oxygen atom. What kind of bond keeps these three atoms together?

Covalent bond

Lives in benthic sediments Free-swimming organism Can never swim against a current Most often larvae that metamorphose in their lifetime Lives on top of benthic sediments

D. Infauna B. Nekton E. Holoplankton A. Meroplankton C. Epifauna

Inter-tropical Convergence Zone Tradewinds Westerlies Polar Easterlies

D. Low pressure zone where warm, moist air rises A. Prevailing wind pattern at tropical latitudes C. Prevailing wind pattern at temperate latitudes B. Prevailing wind pattern at polar latitudes

Match the term or person with the appropriate phrase. You may use each answer once, more than once or not at all. abyssal clay coccolithophores calcareous ooze halite manganese nodules metal sulfides oolites siliceous ooze stromatolites tektites

D. lithogenous (terrigenous) sediment A. biogenous sediment A. biogenous sediment B. hydrogenous sediment B. hydrogenous sediment B. hydrogenous sediment B. hydrogenous sediment A. biogenous sediment A. biogenous sediment C. cosmogenous sediment

What is the best way to classify living things?

DNA sequencing

What would happen to a hurricane passing over a cold core ring?

De-intensification

As a wave approaches the shore, what happens to wave speed, height, and length respectively?

Decrease, increase and decrease

The addition of carbon dioxide to the ocean over an extended period of time, has what affect on the pH?

Decreases pH

Why is there greater biological productivity around Antarctica compared to the Arctic?

Due to an influx of nutrients from upwelled North Atlantic Deep Water

Submarine canyon Ocean trench Continental shelf Continental margin Abyssal plain

E. Narrow and deep valleys on continental slopes B. Deep linear scars on the deep ocean floor caused by convergence C. A generally flat zone that extends from the shore to the shelf break D. Shallow-water areas close to continents A. Flat depositional surfaces that cover extensive portions of the deep-ocean basins

What is traveling with a wave in the ocean?

Energy

Vestigial structures in the bodies of organisms are used as:

Evidence for evolution

What state of water has independent molecules that flow freely?

Gas

Climate change data from the geologic past has been used as evidence for the movement of the continents. Which of the following is a relevant example of this type of evidence?

Glacial sediments found in India

What is the name of the current closest to the East Coast of the United States?

Gulf Stream

Sediment that is gravel sized and rounded required a __________ environment to be transported.

High Energy

An area covered in ice has:

High albedo, high reflectivity

What type of bonding occurs between water molecules?

Hydrogen bonding

What is a La Nina?

Increased Walker Circulation in the Pacific Ocean

How do fish benefit from maintaining a constant body temperature?

Increased swimming speeds

What is a proposed benefit of ocean fertilization?

Increased uptake of carbon dioxide

What is a known cause of coral bleaching?

Increased water temperatures

What areas on Earth experience the greatest day/night temperature variations?

Interiors of landmasses

Increasing carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere will cause what to happen to the calcite compensation depth?

It will become shallower

What do the simplest vertebrates lack?

Jaws

What is the major limiting factor to phytoplankton production in the tropical oceans?

Lack of nutrients

What is the major limiting factor to phytoplankton production in the polar oceans?

Lack of sunlight

Which of the following usually describe cold-water species when compared to their warm-water counterparts?

Large, grow slowly, and have a longer life span

Which of the following plankton classification applies to jellies?

Macroplankton

Surface salinity is highest at which latitude due to evaporation exceeding precipitation?

Mid-Latitudes

Which type of sediment covered shore is considered the lowest-energy environment?

Mud flat

What is the major gas contributing to dry air?

N2

A harmful algal bloom that can cause irritation and death, but does not produce a toxin is called:

Nuisance

What is the order of steps involved in the scientific method?

Observation, hypothesis, testing, theory

Why is the oldest ocean floor only 180 million years old?

Older ocean floor is destroyed at subduction zones

Which of the following crust types is the densest?

Older oceanic crust

Which of the following progressive waves best describes ocean waves?

Orbital

The largest, deepest of the oceans is:

Pacific

The East Coast of the US is a(n) ________ continental margin.

Passive

What is the function of long appendages for most phytoplankton?

Provides increased buoyancy

Why does the mid-latitude region usually have two phytoplankton blooms per year?

Phytoplankton are limited by sunlight and nutrients at different times of the year.

Which organism type comprises the majority of Earth's biomass?

Plankton

What is the term for the total amount of solids dissolved in water?

Salinity

If an animal is tightly attached to the rocks during intense wave activity, it is said to be:

Sessile

Net movement of sand in the surf zone due to longshore transport is in what direction?

South

What resource do organisms most often compete for in the middle tide zone of a rocky shore?

Space

You have the most characteristics in common with members of your own

Species

A gyre centered over 30-degrees North or South latitudeis referred to as what?

Subtropical gyre

Why do subtropical gyres rotate in one direction while subpolar gyres rotate in the opposite direction?

Subtropical gyres are generated by the westerlies and tradewinds, and subpolar gyres are generated by the polar easterlies

What process re-establishes climax communities after a major disruption in the environment?

Succession

Why is there little change to salinity below 1,000 meters?

Surface processes don't affect the deeper water.

When El Nino occurs, a mass of warm Pacific water that is usually pushed westward by tradewinds

Surges back eastward toward South America

Where are phytoplankton the most productive?

Temperate latitudes

A core section with a high amount of silica would most likely indicate what about the time it was deposited?

That there was a high amount of surface productivity

Why are there more benthic species than pelagic species?

The benthic zone has more potential habitats than the pelagic.

What makes water the universal solvent?

The dipolarity of the molecule allows ions of other compounds to separate easily.

What is a niche?

The organism's occupation in a community

Why can a marine food web have no more than four or five trophic levels?

The organisms at the top trophic level would have to eat so much that the web would collapse.

Where on the globe does deep water formation occur?

The polar regions

During the formation of the oceans, erosion of the Earth most significantly led to what?

The salt in the water

Which current in a gyre is deep, swift, and moves warm water?

Western boundary current

Why are continental margins more biologically productive than the open ocean?

There are more available nutrients along the continental margins.

How many tests must be run without fail to determine that a hypothesis is a fact?

There is no acceptable number for this because there are no scientific certainties

Why are most deep-ocean lithogenous deposits composed of fine-grained sediments?

There is not enough energy to move larger grain sizes to the deep ocean.

How can photosynthesis be inhibited at the very top layer of the ocean surface?

There is too much light

What is the name of the layer of water marked by rapidly changing temperature with depth?

Thermocline

Observations in the Appalachian Mountains in the United States and the Caledonian Mountains in Europe have revealed that there are similar rock types and structures in both mountain ranges. From this, which of the following can be inferred?

These mountain ranges were once connected during the time of Pangaea.

If the waves in the surf zone are erratic in size and shape, what is that most likely revealing about their origin?

They were generated by local wind

If there were a global ice age, what would happen to the continental shelves worldwide?

They would get smaller

Why does the dissolved oxygen concentration begin to dramatically decrease at the bottom of the epipelagic zone?

This is where respiration exceeds photosynthesis.

Why does a male fiddler crab have one claw that is significantly larger than the others?

To attract females

Why do the majority of organisms at a sandy beach burrow into the sediment?

To ensure that they stay in the area

Submarine canyons are formed by:

Turbidity currents

Underwater avalanches of muddy water mixed with rocks and debris are:

Turbidity currents

Which of the following oceanic regions would be expected to have the greatest biological productivity due to circulation?

Upwelling zone

Hurricanes are powered by

Warm water

What is the most significant mode of transport of lithogenous sediment?

Water

The most likely origin of most of Earth's oceans was due to:

Water vapor released from volcanic outgassing

To calculate wave steepness, you must know which two wave parameters?

Wave height and wavelength

In evolutionary terms, the best thing to be is

Well adapted to your environment but able to change if your environment changes

Which of the following would you expect to find on a summertime beach?

a wide, sandy berm

Winter beaches:

are narrower than summer beaches due to high-energy waves during the winter.

The center of mass of the Earth-Moon system is called the:

barycenter.

Most marine species are found in the:

benthic environment.

With respect to their marine environment, these organisms can be referred to as:

benthos.

Based on present-day plate movement, in the future the Atlantic Ocean will get ________ and the Pacific Ocean will get ________.

bigger, smaller

Compared to western boundary currents, eastern boundary currents are:

broad and slow.

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.

The first wave that forms when the wind begins to blow across the ocean surface is a:

capillary wave.

Microscopic, shrimplike animals that have a hard exoskeleton that can be either herbivorous, carnivorous, or parasitic are called:

copepods.

The color pattern in which marine organisms are light on the bottom and dark on the top of their bodies camouflaging them against the water-air interface is:

countershading.

Thermohaline circulation is driven by:

density differences.

Important marine autotrophs that have silica incorporated into their cell walls are:

diatoms.

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 of the following contains calcium carbonate (CaCO3)?

foraminiferans

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

greater.

A spring tide:

has very high high tides and very low low tides

Which property of water causes coastal communities to have only moderate differences in daily highs and lows when compared to inland communities?

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.

In comparison to most other liquids, the heat capacity of liquid water is:

higher than other liquids.

Areas of volcanic activity that are not located at plate boundaries and do not change position are called __________.

hot spots

If water temperature decreases, water density ________; if salinity decreases, density ______.

increases; decreases

The San Andreas Fault:

is a transform fault

Compared with a solar day, a lunar day is:

longer than a solar day.

Organisms that live in the spaces between sediment particles are called:

meiofauna.

The Hawaiian islands are the result of the Pacific plate:

moving over a hot spot

The relationship between the protistan zooxanthellae and the polyps of reef-building corals is best described as a/an:

mutualistic symbiosis.

In temperate oceans of the northern hemisphere during the winter months:

nutrient concentrations are high, solar input is low, and water temperatures decrease.

The seafloor magnetic pattern is best described as:

parallel to and symmetric about mid-ocean ridges.

The time between two successive waves is called the:

period.

The process by which energy is derived from solar radiation that is used by certain organisms to form organic matter is called:

photosynthesis.

Waves that are breaking along the shore and are forming a curling crest over an air pocket are called:

plunging breakers.

The rate at which photosynthetic and chemosynthetic organisms convert energy into organic matter is referred to as ________.

primary production

The distribution of benthic biomass is related to:

primary productivity.

Narrow currents flowing across the surf zone toward the open ocean are called:

rip currents.

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

shelf, slope, rise, abyssal plain.

The largest loss of life from a hurricane is usually due to:

storm surge.

Deep ocean trenches are associated with:

subduction zones.

A tsunami may result from:

tectonic activity on the seafloor.

The two factors that are most important in determining the density of air are:

temperature and water vapor content.

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

temperature.

The mechanism for putting dissolved organic matter (DOM) back into the trophic system is called:

the microbial loop

The Principle of Constant Proportions states that:

the relative concentrations of the major ions in seawater does not change.

The Ekman spiral is caused by:

the wind and the Coriolis effect.

Plate tectonics and evolution, which are held with a high degree of confidence because of rigorous testing and verification, are examples of:

theories.

The vertical difference between consecutive high and low tides is called 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.

Equatorial currents are driven by which wind belt?

trade winds.

An area that experiences semidiurnal tides will have:

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

Which of the following is characteristic of oceanic-oceanic convergent plate boundaries?

volcanic island arcs

Standing waves may be caused by:

wave reflection.

Wave energy is more focused on headlands due to:

wave refraction.