Oceanography exam 2

Nearly how many Argo floats are operating worldwide?

4,000

Which feature forms right after liquid slush develops?

Pancake ice

Judge the following sentence according to the criteria given below: The air over the continents colder in winter and warmer in summer than the air over adjacent oceans BECAUSE continental rock has a lower heat capacity than seawater.

The assertion and the reason are both correct, and the reason is valid.

Which of the following is a layer of rapidly changing temperature?

Thermocline

Compared to western boundary currents, eastern boundary currents are:

broad and slow.

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

capillary wave.

Latent heat is the quantity of heat gained or lost as a substance undergoes a:

change in state.

A cold air mass moving into an area occupied by relatively warm air is called a(n) _______

cold front

Deep ocean currents are driven primarily by ________ .

density differences

Which of the following two factors cause geostrophic circulation within a gyre?

gravity and the Coriolis effect.

In general the restoring force for wind-generated waves is:

gravity.

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

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

higher than other liquids.

The transfer of water between the atmosphere, the oceans, and the continents is known as the:

hydrologic cycle.

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

increased current velocity, deeper current, warmer water, narrower current

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

increases and its wavelength decreases

The movement of sea water at a pynocline creates ________ waves.

internal

Many of the unusual properties of water are attributed to the fact that water:

is a polar molecule.

Salinity is expressed in ________.

parts per thousand

The time between two successive waves is called the:

period

Most ocean waves form as a result of:

winds blowing across the ocean surface.

A deep-water wave occurs when the water depth is equal to at least:

1/2 of the wavelength

Earth's axis of rotation is tilted at an angle of ________.

23.5

Judge the following sentence according to the criteria given below: Measuring average flow rates of ocean surface currents is simple BECAUSE they flow in the same direction and at the same rate for long periods of time.

Both the assertion and the reason are incorrect.

Which conditions in the ocean promote high productivity?

Cold water, rich nutrients

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.

Coastal winds can cause upwelling or downwelling due to which of the following?

Ekman transport

The observation that ships and icebergs in the southern hemisphere float to the left of the wind direction is an example of which of the following?

Ekman transport

Of all the following processes which one increases the salinity of water?

Evaporation

Which of the following processes causes sea surface salinity to increase near the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn?v

Evaporation

Which of the following occurs at the same temperature as the melting point?

Freezing point

A beaker contains a mixture of ice and pure liquid water at 0oC. What happens to the temperature of the liquid water as heat is added?

It remains constant until the ice melts, and then it begins to rise.

At which latitude on the Earth is the speed of Earth's rotation the slowest?

North and South poles

The low pH layer in the ocean is due to which of the following processes?

Respiration

Examine the five words and/or phrases and determine the relationship among the majority of words/phrases. Choose the one option that does not fit the pattern.

Sea surface salinity

In the Northern Hemisphere, June 21 is known as ________.

Summer solstice

Which of the following statements is true of surface ocean currents?

Surface currents form circular patterns in the major ocean basins called "gyres."

Wave size in the "sea" increases with all of the following except:

Temperature

Which of the following is an application of the principle of constant proportions?

The concentration of a single major constituent can be measured to determine the total salinity of a water sample.

In which layer of the atmosphere is all weather generated?

Troposphere

What are tropical cyclones called in the western North Pacific Ocean?

Typhoons

Which of the following is not one of the names associated with huge rotating masses of low pressure characterized by strong winds and torrential rain?

Vortex

The basic building blocks of all matter are called ________.

atoms

Low-pressure regions in the northern hemisphere rotate:

counterclockwise.

An increase in seawater density can be caused by a ________ in temperature or a(n) ________ in salinity.

decrease; increase

Idealized pressure belts and wind systems are significantly modified by Earth's tilted axis of rotation and:

differences in the heat capacities of the ocean and land.

During winter months, monsoon winds over the Indian Ocean ________.

flow from land to sea and are dry

The two most abundant components of dry air are:

nitrogen and oxygen.

Which of the following statements regarding pH is true?

pH relates to relative acid-base ion balance in a solution.

Descending air at the poles creates high-pressure regions called ________.

polar highs

Air warmed by the land that rises and is replaced by cooler air from the ocean may produce a:

sea breeze.

Ice crystals are ________ structures in which water molecules are widely spaced.

six-sided

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

temperature

The fetch refers to:

the distance over which the wind blows without interruption.

The El Niño Southern Oscillation can best be described as:

the relationship between sea surface temperature and changing atmospheric pressure.

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.

Cold currents flowing ________ on the ________ sides of continents produce arid conditions.

toward the equator; western

The lowermost portion of the atmosphere where most weather occurs is called the:

troposphere.

The uplift or downdropping of large areas of the sea floor creates ________ waves.

tsunami

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

upwelling.

Diverging surface waters are areas of ________ and ________ productivity.

upwelling; high

The Coriolis effect is due to changes in the ________ of Earth with latitude.

velocity

All the following are true of the movement of Earth's atmosphere except :

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

The energy source for hurricanes is ________.

warm seawater

The depth below the surface where the circular orbits become so small that movement is negligible is called the ________.

wave base

The vertical distance between a wave crest and a wave trough is called the ________.

wave height

Waves converge on headlands due to:

wave refraction.

The ratio of wave height to wavelength is called the:

wave steepness

The horizontal distance between wave crest to crest is called the ________.

wavelength

The longer the ________, the faster a deep-water wave travels.

wavelength

Wave speed of deep-water waves depends only on _______

wavelength

The circular motion of water molecules extends to a depth that is equal to:

wavelength/2.

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

wind; the Coriolis effect and land