Geology Exam 2
For every 100 units of heat that radiate towards the earth, which of the following is TRUE?
-About 20% absorbed by atmosphere en route -About 50% absorbed at surface -Remaining 30% reflected from top of atmosphere
Which of the following happens as air rises
-Experiences less pressure from its surroundings -Expands -Cools -Relative humidity rises -Rains -Low pressure is experienced on surface
How often do we get oscillations between el nino and la nina
1-7 years
which of the following are true about the Coriolis effect
1. airplanes, air masses and currents moving in the northern hemisphere are deflected to their right 2. airplanes, air masses, and currents moving in the Southern Hemisphere are deflected to their left 3. as we approach the poles, the effect increases 4. at the equator, there is no deflection 5. the effect results from a rotating earth
Which of the following wave types can be generated by wind? (Select all that apply)
1. capillary waves 2. chop 3. swell 4. seiche
Which of the following is not a consequence of global warming?
1. droughts in prime agricultural areas 2. increasing hurricane intensity 3. melting of glacial ice 4. shifts in the world-wide distribution of plant and animal communities
Which of the following is true of carbon dioxide? Check all that apply
1. increased CO2 in the atmosphere leads to an increased greenhouse effect and global warming 2. increased CO2 in oceans leads to greater acidity 3. has been increasing in the atmosphere since the industrial revolution
Which of the following is true about a pycnocline? (select all that apply)
1. results from combined effects of the thermocline and halocline 2. is an incredible barrier to mixing between low-density water above and high-density 3. low latitude thermocline and pycnocline are mirror images 4. describes density increasing with depth
Which of these will always increase the wave height in the open ocean? (Select all that apply)
1. stronger, faster winds 2. wind blowing for a long duration 3. longer fetch 4. constructive interference
A family wants to plan a trip to the coast to collect seashells. The best time to collect seashells is at the lowest possible tide. When would you recommend they visit the coast?
1. when the tidal range is at a maximum 2. when there is a new moon
What is the pressure of air at sea level
1000 millibars 1 bar 1 atm
On september 22, how much daylight is received by locations in the antarctic circle?
12 hours
What is the wavelength of this wave?
20
On june 22, how much daylight is received by locations in the arctic circle
24 hours
What is the Salinity and Temperature of the water plotted with a purple star?
35.5 PSU, 17°C
What is the speed of a tsunami
800 km/hr
Assuming that this water column has constant salinity. The location in the water column where the water has the least density is:
A
In the atlantic, north atlantic deep water sinks near greenland and heads south along the ocean bottom. Antarctic bottom water sinks off Antarctica and moves north along the ocean bottom. What happens when they meet
ABW stays on the bottom and NADW overrides it
Which of the following is true of chop?
Also can be called sea Generated by local winds only Restoring force = gravity
Which thermohaline current is the coldest
Antarctic bottom water
Which thermohaline current is the densest
Antarctic bottom water
Which thermohaline currents is found in all three oceans
Antarctic bottom water Antarctic intermediate water
Which thermohaline current is the least dense
Antarctic intermediate water
As the climate becomes warmer, the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere increases and there is an increase in cloud cover. This cloud cover reflects solar radiation and decreases the total incoming radiation. This is an example of
Balancing-feedback loop
Which of the following is true of the pycnocline
Boundary between two water layers Always represents a density difference Traps nutrients at depth
Which arrow is pointing to the wave trough?
C, the bottom one
Which of the following is a greenhouse gas?
CO2, methane, and water
Which of the following is true of eastern boundary currents
California current is an example Colder than western boundary currents Slower than western boundary currents
Which of the following waves can be produced by wind
Capillary waves Chop Swell seiche
Which of the following waves is a deep-water wave
Chop in the open ocean
Which of the following is a consequence of global warming
Droughts in prime agricultural areas Increasing hurricane intensity Melting of glacial ice Shifts in the world-wide distribution of plant and animal communities
Which best describes the characteristics of the interaction between solar radiation and greenhouse gases
Earth's incoming solar radiation is in the UV spectrum Earth's reflected outgoing is in the far infrared spectrum so it can't escape
What natural processes can cause salinity variations?
Evaporation Formation of sea ice Precipitation (rain/snow) Runoff (river flow) Melting icebergs Melting sea ice
Which of the following "clines" will exist between two layers of water when 1 layer of water is fresh and hot and the other is salty and cold
Halocline Pycnocline thermocline
Which of the following clines will exist between two layers of water when 1 layer of water is fresh at 20 degC and the other is salty at 20 degC
Halocline pycnocline
Which of the following is true about tsunami
Heights in open ocean average 1m Wavelengths in open ocean average 200km Periods average 15 minutes One tsunami event can consistent of 3-8 individual waves Can be produced by underwater landslides Can be produced by underwater earthquakes only if they produce vertical displacement of the seafloor
Which of the following is true about wave base
Measured from equilibrium surface level Depth = ½ wave length
Why is florida in a tropical climate while baja california, at the same latitude is temperate
Ocean currents bring warm water up from the tropics to Florida, and cool water down from northern latitudes to Baja.
Which of the following is true about ocean waves
Orbital motion (in a circle) No net motion of water (returns to original position) Affects seawater and floating objects in seawater only down to wave base
Which winds move towards 60 deg North and South
Polar easterlies and westerlies
In which of the following locations would you expect dry conditions
Poles Midlatitudes (~30 deg N or S)
What is the Greenhouse Effect?
Solar radiation not reflected back to space causing the Earth's surface temperature and lower atmosphere to warm because of heat trapping gases
What is the greenhouse effect
Solar radiation not reflected back to space causing the earth's surface temperature and lower atmosphere to warm because of heat trapping gases
Which of the following wave types represents energy moving from point A to point B
Sound waves Light waves Earthquake waves Ocean wave
Which of the following would always increase wave height in the open ocean
Stronger, faster winds Longer duration of wind blowing in same direction Longer fetch Constructive interference
What causes most places on Earth to have seasons?
The spin axis is tilted 23.5 degrees to the plane of Earth's orbit, causing solar radiation to vary in angle as Earth revolves around the Sun.
Which type of wave has the longest period
Tidal waves
Given what you know about Ekman Transport - What is the net direction of water movement in a subtropical gyre?
Towards the inside of the gyre.
Which of the following waves is a shallow-water wave
Tsunami to open ocean
Other than melting land-based ice sheets, which of these factors has made the largest contribution to the rise in sea level over the past 100 years?
Warming (Expansion) of ocean surface waters
Which water mass is more dense, the one plotted as a purple star, or Water Mass B?
Water Mass B
Which of the following is a progressive wave
Wave formed when you blow on your coffee tsunami swell
Which of the following characteristics of waves are involved in deciding if a wave is shallow-water or deep-water
Wavelength Ocean depth
Which of the following waves would never exist (too steep)
Wavelength = 50m; height = 50m
Which of the following carries the largest volume
West wind drift (antarctic circumpolar current)
Which of the following is true about waves
When waves meet maximum steepness, they break When waves hit bottom, they start to refract or bend When waves hit solid objects, they reflect off them When waves pass through a gap in rocks, they diffract
Which of the following is not a factor affecting wave intensity:
coriolis 1. fetch is 2. wind duration is 3. wind speed is
Is there upwelling or downwelling occurring in the center of a subtropical gyre?
downwelling
Is there upwelling or downwelling occurring in the center of the gyre?
downwelling
Which direction is the earth rotating around its axis of rotation?
east
Wind moving north away from high pressure at 30Deg North will deflect in what direction due to the coriolis effect
east
During El Nino, which side suffers increased coastal erosion
eastern equatorial pacific
During an El Nino, which sides receives the most rain
eastern equatorial pacific
During an El nino, to which direction do the trade winds blow
eastern equatorial pacific
Where is the pycnocline always developed
equator, tropics, subtropics
During a la nina, which is stronger
equatorial currents(gyre)
On march 22, what season is it in the southern hemisphere
fall
Which of the following is fastest
gulf stream
Which of these characteristics increases as waves approach shore
height
Which of these characteristics increases as waves approach shore?
height
What kind of pressure typically exists at the surface at 30 degrees north and south of the equator (during an equinox)
high
Newton's gravitational laws affect the relationship of matter/objects on the Earth. Which of the following is true?
if the distance increases, then gravitational force greatly decreases
Which type of radiation is emitted by Earth's Surface (heat)?
infrared
Which direction does the coriolis effect deflect currents in the southern hemisphere
left
Warm, moist air rising creates what conditions on earth's surface
low pressure
Which of the following is found in the atmosphere in highest abundance
nitrogen
On December 22, how much daylight is received by locations in the Arctic Circle?
no sunlight at all
Which location on earth's surface receives incoming sunlight equal to the solar constant
nowhere
Where is the pycnocline never developed
polar
Tides have wavelengths that are greater than half the earth's circumference. They are:
shallow water waves
Which type of tides have the highest highs?
spring tide
Which type of tides have the lowest lows?
spring tide
Which of the following waves has the potential to be the tallest in the open ocean
swell
Which type of wave has the potential to be the tallest
swell
What zones sit between the subpolar and subtropic zones
temperate
Where is the pycnocline seasonally developed
temperature
Which celestial body (the sun or moon) has the larger impact on tidal forces?
the moon because of the short distance between it and the earth
Why are there two tidal bulges?
the resultant forces of gravity and centripetal force add together and are equal on both sides of the planet
The ekman spiral is caused by
the wind and the Coriolis effect.
Given what you know about Ekman Transport - what is the net direction of water movement in these gyres?
towards the inside of the gyres
On december 22, where is the location of the most intense, direct sunlight on the planet?
tropic of capricorn
What zone sits just north and south of the equatorial zone
tropics
Earth has a natural greenhouse effect, principally due to water vapor.
true
What two factors control if a wave is a "deep water wave" or a "shallow water wave"?
water depth and wave length
All three of the above waves are waves occurring in 400 meters of water (deep water waves) with the speed equation of speed =1.25√(wavelength). Which wave will have the fastest speed?
wave A
Which of the following components of a wave is identical to tidal range?
wave height
In a wave the circular motion of water molecules extends to a depth (known as the wavebase) that is equal to:
wavelength/2
Which of the following is true of the atmosphere structure
weather remains in the troposphere
During a La Nina, which side has warm surface water
western equatorial pacific
Would this be a breaking wave? (Wave steepness can be maximum 1/7 before a wave breaks)
yes, the wave steepness (H/L) is 3/2 (30/20)
