Ch. 15 - Ocean Waters

The Coriolis effect causes the apparent deflection of currents as a result of a. changes in wind speed. b. changes in ocean currents. c. the rotation of Earth. d. the location of the Moon.

c. the rotation of Earth.

Waves are created by a. tides. b. the crust. c. wind. d. the Moon

c. wind

Which of the following provides the largest tide-generating force? a. the Sun b. Earth c. the Moon d. the ocean

c. the Moon

Why are waves larger during storms? a. The larger wind speeds create more shear. b. The storm increases the amount of upwelling. c. There is more water pulled in by the storm. d. The motion of the water becomes more elliptic

a. The larger wind speeds create more shear

What prevents the individual water masses from becoming one single water mass? a. a heterogeneous makeup b. Unrelated temperatures c. a homogenous makeup d. Unrelated density

a. a heterogeneous makeup

If two wind-driven waves moving from different directions came together in such a way that the wave crests overlap to form a single crest, what would happen to the size of the waves? The newly formed wave would a. become larger than that of the two original waves. b. become smaller than that of the two original waves. c. triple in size. d. be destroyed by the two original waves

a. become larger than that of the two original waves.

Which part of the visible spectrum does not get absorbed by water efficiently, thereby making it the color that can penetrate the deepest? a. blue b. red c. yellow d. orange

a. blue

Where do the deep ocean currents rise to the surface? a. equator b. tropics c. North Pole d. South Pole

a. equator

The Ekman transport causes a slow drift of water to the center of the ocean. As a result of this converging flow, sea level in the center of the ocean becomes slightly __________ thanat the ocean's margins. a. higher b. greater c. lower d. lesser

a. higher

Compared with the sea surface salinity of the tropical latitudes, the sea surface salinity of the polar latitudes is __________ saline. a. less b. approximately the same c. more d. exactly twice as

a. less

Oceanographers distinguish between the aphotic and photic zone based on a. light penetration. b. pressure differences. c. amount of water above the seafloor. d. distance from coastline

a. light penetration

Which of the following accounts for the largest amount of biomass in our oceans? a. plankton b. dinoflagellates c. nekton d. mammals

a. plankton

What caused the shapes and positions of today's ocean basins to differ from their appearance in the past? a. plate tectonics b. ocean currents c. weather and climate d. sea level rise

a. plate tectonics

The __________ is the rapid change in seawater density from less dense water above to more dense water below, whereas the __________ is the gradual boundary between warmerwater above and colder water below. a. pycnocline; thermocline b. insolation; halocline c. thermocline; pycnocline d. halocline; insolation

a. pycnocline; thermocline

The size of open ocean waves generated by the wind depend on the wind __________, the __________ of the wind, and the duration of the wind blowing. a. strength; fetch b. twice; strength c. drift; speed d. period; frequency

a. strength; fetch

Which of the following would be an area of the ocean with the LEAST dense water? a. the mouth of the Amazon River b. the middle of the Pacific Ocean c. off the coast of Africa d. off the coast of Madagascar

a. the mouth of the Amazon River

What would happen to the continents if sea level were to rise significantly? a. Large volumes of water may fill up all the valleys of the continents, forming lakes. b. Ocean water may submerge large areas of continents, forming epicontinental seas. c. Large volumes of water may expose islands. d. An increase in volcanic eruptions would occur

b. Ocean water may submerge large areas of continents, forming epicontinental seas.

A person is able to float more easily in the Red Sea than if they were floating in the Black Sea because the a. Black Sea has a higher density than the Red Sea. b. Red Sea has a higher density than the Black Sea. c. Red Sea is warmer than the Black Sea. d. Black Sea is warmer than the Red Sea

b. Red Sea has a higher density than the Black Sea.

Phytoplankton __________and zooplankton __________. a. live on the ocean floor; live on the surface of the ocean b. carry out photosynthesis; ingest other organisms c. live on the surface of the ocean; live on the ocean floor d. ingest other organisms; carry out photosynthesis

b. carry out photosynthesis; ingest other organisms

Surface currents flow __________ in the Northern Hemisphere and __________ in the Southern Hemisphere. a. counterclockwise; clockwise b. clockwise; counterclockwise c. upward; downward d. equatorward; poleward

b. clockwise; counterclockwise

The shallowest portions of an ocean found along the margins of continents are the a. abyssal plains. b. continental shelves. c. continental rises. d. continental slopes

b. continental shelves.

The water mass located on the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean would be expected to have _________density and __________ temperature. a. lower; lower b. higher; lower c. higher; higher d. lower; higher

b. higher; lower

As a wave passes through the open ocean, the water molecules move a. horizontally. b. in a circular path. c. diagonally. d. straight up and down

b. in a circular path

According to researchers, the recent rise in sea level can be explained primarily by a(n) a. increase in seawater salinity. b. increase in seawater temperature. c. decrease in seawater salinity. d. decrease in seawater temperature

b. increase in seawater temperature.

The sea surface salinity is __________ at the mouth of the Amazon River and _________ in the Great Salt Lake, Utah. a. low; low b. low; high c. high; low d. high; high

b. low; high

According to the different categories of ocean life, an organism that can actively swim in the open ocean against currents is called a. plankton. b. nekton. c. zooplankton. d. phytoplankton

b. nekton

The prevailing global wind patterns influence a. atmospheric currents. b. ocean currents. c. frictional currents. d. Coriolis force.

b. ocean currents.

Marine biologists distinguish between the photic and aphotic zones because within the aphotic zone,__________ , whereas in the photic zone, __________ . a. water is lit by sunlight; sunlight does not penetrate water b. sunlight does not penetrate water; water is lit by sunlight c. all sunlight is refracted by water; sunlight is reflected d. sunlight is reflected; sunlight is all refracted by water

b. sunlight does not penetrate water; water is lit by sunlight

Which of the following briefly summarizes the food web and its group of organisms associated by feeding relationships? a. Primary producers are heterotrophs. b. Consumers bring energy into the web. c. Primary producers are organisms that survive by extracting nutrients from nonliving energy sources. d. Consumers include any organism that is not an autotro

c. Primary producers are organisms that survive by extracting nutrients from nonliving energy sources.

Thermohaline circulation carries __________ water from the poles to the equator, where thewater becomes__________ a. warm; cold b. low density; more dense c. cold; warm d. low density; more salty

c. cold; warm

The density of seawater increases as temperature __________ and salinity __________ . a. increases; increases b. increases; decreases c. decreases; increases d. decreases; decreases

c. decreases; increases

Ripples are the result of a. waves. b. upwelling. c. frictional drag. d. wave drift

c. frictional drag.

The presence of abundant phytoplankton which contain __________ chlorophyll can make water appear __________. a. blue; bluish b. red; reddish c. green; greenish d. brown; brownish

c. green; greenish

Major oceanic surface currents travel a. parallel to the prevailing wind direction in a region. b. in direct opposition to prevailing winds as a result of the Coriolis effect. c. in a similar direction to the prevailing winds as a result of the Coriolis effect. d. at an angle to prevailing winds as a result of the Doppler effect

c. in a similar direction to the prevailing winds as a result of the Coriolis effect.

The early maps of the continental shorelines are distorted from what they really look like because early ocean navigators a. used a GPS device that was not accurate. b. knew how to find longitude but not latitude. c. knew how to find latitude but not longitude. d. were unable to sail close enough to the shoreline

c. knew how to find latitude but not longitude.

Imagine a person is sailing across the Pacific Ocean and the deck of the boat is suddenly swamped by a wave twice as high as the waves have been during this entire journey. They have encountered a ____________wave a. tsunami b. swell c. rogue d. seismic

c. rogue

When oceanographers discuss the elevation of the boundary between ocean water and the air above, they are referring to the a. altitude. b. isolines. c. sea level. d. horizon

c. sea level.

The interior of the North Pacific Gyre has collected vast quantities of floating plastic garbage and chemical sludge referred to as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. What impacts might this phenomenon have on the overall health of the ocean? a. It might become a part of our food web. b. It might be difficult to clean up. c. Consumers might mistake plastic for food and ingest the plastic. d. All of these answer choices are true

d. All of these answer choices are true

Organisms that live on, just above, or just below the seafloor are known as benthos. The varied nature of benthos organisms can be explained by a. differences in depth. b. by differences in salinity. c. differences in the amount of available nutrients. d. all of the following: depth, salinity, sunlight penetration, density, and distance from coastal runoff

d. all of the following: depth, salinity, sunlight penetration, density, and distance from coastal runoff

Two negative ions that are found in seawater are a. potassium and sodium. b. chloride and potassium. c. calcium and magnesium. d. chloride and sulfate.

d. chloride and sulfate.

A streamlike flow of the ocean water is referred to as __________ , and the development of local undulations produce __________ a. waves; tides b. eddies; gyres c. tides; currents d. currents; waves

d. currents; waves

Oceanographers distinguish between the different oceanic zones by using a. sonar. b. the amount of organisms in each zone. c. salinity and temperature. d. depth and distance from shore

d. depth and distance from shore

Imagine you are an oceanographer mapping the sea surface temperature variations throughout the Atlantic Ocean for the Northern Hemisphere. What phenomenon best explains the difference in sea surface temperatures of two coastal cities located at the same latitude located on opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean? a. Brazil current b. Guinea current c. jet stream d. gulf stream

d. gulf stream

What are the major surface currents on Earth that display a circlelike path and follow the ocean basin margins? a. eddies b. pools c .lochs d. gyres

d. gyres

What affect would the Coriolis effect have on the Space Station? The space station would a. curve to the right because it is above the Northern Hemisphere. b. curve to the left because it is above the Southern Hemisphere. c. not curve because it is above the equator and not affected. d. not be affected because it is not in Earth's atmosphere

d. not be affected because it is not in Earth's atmosphere

Autotrophs need __________ in order to survive. a. salts b. zooplankton c. sulfates d. nutrients

d. nutrients

A wave will disturb the water to a depth equal to a. its wavelength. b. the bottom of the seafloor. c. its surface amplitude. d. one-half of its wavelength

d. one-half of its wavelength

By the beginning of the 17th century, ocean voyages had helped map the basic layout of the a. orogeny. b. topography c. bathymetry. d. shorelines

d. shorelines