E.C.E Marine - Unit 2 - Physics Test

Question 1

Rotation of the Earth causes ____________ of N to S movement of wind.

Answer 1

Deflection

Question 2

This cause wind in the _____ Hemisphere to bend clockwise and in the _______ Hemisphere to bend counterclockwise.

Answer 2

North and South, respectively.

Question 3

This effect makes things like (planes or currents of air) travellng long distances around Earth appear to move at a curve as opposed to a straight line.

Answer 3

The Coriolis Effect.

Question 4

The names of the 3 Major Wind Bands

Answer 4

A. Trade Winds.
B. Westerlies
C. Polar Easterlies

Question 5

Where do the Trade Winds occur?

Answer 5

15-30 degrees N/S

Question 6

Where does the Westerlies occur?

Answer 6

30-60 degrees N/S

Question 7

Where do the Polar Easterlies occur?

Answer 7

60-90 degrees N/S

Question 8

True or False: No wind occurs where opposing bands meet.

Answer 8

TRUE

Question 9

True or False: Major surface currents DON’T have currents parallel to wind currents.

Answer 9

FALSE

Question 10

What is the most well-known surface current?

Answer 10

The Gulf Stream in the N. Atlantic

Question 11

What is a Gyre?

Answer 11

A circular current with a larger current or broken off from a larger current.

Question 12

Wave Anatomy: What is a Surface Wave?

Answer 12

It’s the “stretching” of water surface by the wind to create ripples of varying sizes.

Question 13

Wave Anatomy: What is frequency?

Answer 13

Number of waves crests passing point A or point B each second.

Question 14

What is a Period?

Answer 14

The time required for wave crests at point A to reach point B.

Question 15

Wave Anatomy: What is an orbital path?

Answer 15

Orbital paths are individual water molecules at the water’s surface.

Question 16

What is the opposite of the Crest as it relates to water anatomy?

Answer 16

A Trough.

Question 17

What is the opposite of the Trough as it relates to water anatomy?

Answer 17

A Crest

Question 18

What are tides?

Answer 18

Tides are daily changes in ocean level due to the gravitational pull of the moon and sun on the Earth.

Question 19

When do Low tides or EBB Tides occur?

Answer 19

-Occur on the sides of the Earth
-They must be 90 degree angles to the moon

Question 20

What are tide time changes and why do they occur?

Answer 20

Tide times change by 50 minutes each day because the moon rises 50 minutes later each day.

Question 21

What are Spring tides?

Answer 21

Spring tides occur during the full and new moon. The gravitational pull is stronger so high tides are higher and low tides become even lower.

When this occurs during storms or spring snowmelt, flooding can occur.

Question 22

What are Neap Tides?

Answer 22

They occur during the first and last quarter moons. These tides tend to be moderate.

Question 23

Why does wind occur?

Answer 23

Wind occurs due to solar radiation heating the Earth’s atmosphere.

Question 24

What is solar radiation and how does it vary around the Earth?

Answer 24

The more direct the sun’s rays are, the warmer it is (dependent on latitude and season).

Question 25

Earth’s Heat Budget: What % of the heat is absorbed by land and water?

Answer 25

48%

Question 26

What % of the Earth’s heat budget is absorbed by the atmosphere?

Answer 26

18%

Question 27

What is the rest of Earth’s Heat budget lost to?

Answer 27

• Evaporation
• Conduction
• Reradiation

Question 28

Heat Capacity: Land V.S. Ocean.

Answer 28

Land - Low = Grater and faster gain and loss.

Ocean - High = Less and slower gain and loss.

Question 29

Where on the Earth is evaporation the strongest?

Answer 29

Near the Equator.

Question 30

Warm air moves to the poles, condenses, and cools resulting in. . .

Answer 30

CONVECTION that creates wind!

Question 31

What are breezes and when do they occur?

Answer 31

They occur during the day.

It is warmer air from the shore getting pulled out to the sea while cooler sea air moves inland. The opposite also occurs at night.

Question 32

What are the two different types of breezes?

Answer 32

ONSHORE and OFFSHORE

Question 33

What are global ocean currents caused by?

Answer 33

THERMOHALINE CIRCULATION

Question 34

What is overturn?

Answer 34

When cold and dense water flows southward displacing warmer, less dense water (convection). This is known as overturn.

Question 35

What is Wave energy and its motion?

Answer 35

The motion of a wave is up and down not forward. Therefore, when the water molecules move in circles and the energy of the wave is transformed water, this will cause objects to bob on the surface.

Question 36

Deep Water Waves: How deep must the water be to the wavelength.

Answer 36

Deeper then 1/2 of the wavelegnth.

Question 37

How to calculate wave steepness:

Answer 37

Height/Length.

Question 38

What is wave height controlled by?

Answer 38

1. Wind Speed.
2. Wind duration.
3. Fetch (The distance wind blows in one direction over water)

Question 39

What is wave interference?

Answer 39

When 2 waves meet in phase with each other.

Question 40

What are swells?

Answer 40

Long, regular waves.

Question 41

What are whitecaps?

Answer 41

Waves with their crests blown off of them.

Question 42

What are undertows?

Answer 42

Undertow refers to the bottom of a wave orbit as it appears to pull back from the beach.

They are generally only dangerous in high-surf conditions.