Final Exam (Old) Flashcards
The deepest parts of the oceans are:
a) in the middle
b) nearest convergent (colliding) plate boundaries
c) nearest divergent boundaries (pulling apart) plate boundaries
d) all of the above
e) none of the above
b) nearest convergent (colliding) plate boundaries
Hotspots form:
a) deep in the earth, at the core/mantle boundary
b) as plumes of magma that reach the earths surface to form volcanoes
c) volcanic island chains, such as the Hawaiian Islands
d) all of the above
e) b and c only
d) all of the above
Hydrothermal vents form:
a) in the abyssal plain
b) in the spreading centers (rifts) of mid-ocean ridges
c) in the continental rise
d) in ocean trenches
e) on continental shelves
b) in the spreading centers (rifts) of mid-ocean ridges
The identification of lithospheric plate motion came from:
a) making detailed maps of the ocean floor
b) magnetic records in ocean floor basalt
c) ace dating the ocean floor basalt on either side of mid-ocean ridges
d) all of the above
e) none of the above
d) all of the above
In the liquid water, ice, and vapor graph, the vertical (y) axis represents:
a) temperature
b) pressure
c) number of molecules
d) salinity
e) none of the above
b) pressure
In the liquid water, ice, and vapor graph, the horizontal (x) axis represents:
a) temperature
b) pressure
c) number of molecules
d) salinity
e) none of the above
a) temperature
Earth is located where on the temperature and pressure graph
a) bottom left
b) top right
c) middle
d) bottom right
e) top left
c) middle
Venus is located where on the temperature and pressure graph
a) bottom left
b) top right
c) middle
d) bottom right
e) top left
b) top right
Mars is located where on the temperature and pressure graph
a) bottom left
b) top right
c) middle
d) bottom right
e) top left
a) bottom left
In a velocity and molecule graph, what does the vertical (y) axis represent:
a) temperature
b) pressure
c) number of molecules
d) velocity
e) none of the above
c) number of molecules
In a velocity and molecule graph, what does the horizontal (x) axis represent:
a) temperature
b) pressure
c) number of molecules
d) velocity
e) none of the above
d) velocity
Refer to a molecule and velocity graph, the diagram explains the absence of a thick atmosphere on Mars by:
a) showing that Mars is travelling at 4 miles per second
b) showing that some Hydrogen and Oxygen travels faster than Mars’ escape velocity
c) showing that Mars is much to hot to hold a thick atmosphere
d) showing that Mars is much too cold to hold a thick atmosphere
e) none of the above
b) showing that some Hydrogen and Oxygen travels faster than Mars’ escape velocity
Who was the first to explore a half mile below sea surface in the Bathysphere in 1934?
William Beebe
What was the first submarine designed to reach the bottom of the Marianas Trench, in 1960?
Trieste
What was the first ocean voyage devoted purely to oceanography in 1872?
H.M.S. Challenger
Who was the first to present scientific evidence that continents move, published in 1920’s?
Alfred Wegener
What was the first detailed mapping of the mid-ocean ridge in the Atlantic Ocean in 1920’s?
Meteor
Where is the ocean floor being made?
In the Atlantic ocean
Where is the ocean floor being destroyed and recycled?
In the Pacific ocean by Japan and above Australia
What are the deepest parts of the ocean?
trenches
What are the submerged edges of continents?
Continental Shelf
What is sediment made of remains of micro-organisms?
ooze
What is an example of a divergent (pulling apart) plate boundary?
Mid-Atlantic Ridge
What is a more general term for hydrothermal vents on mid-ocean ridges?
black smokers
What is a submerged, flat-topped extinct volcano?
Guyot
What is an example of an ocean hot spot?
Hawaiian Islands
What are faults in fracture zones crossing mid-ocean ridges?
Transform faults
What transports heat in Earth’s interior?
convection currents
What are flat, smooth sediment covered areas of the deep ocean?
Abyssal Plains
An example of a convergent (colliding) plate boundary is:
a) The Marinas Trench
b) The Hawaiian Islands
c) the Mid-Atlantic Ridge
d) The San Andreas Fault
e) none of the above
a) The Marinas Trench
The history of the changing shape of the ocean basins is recorded in the magnetic patterns in the rock of the ocean floor. This is because:
a) the rocks get older with increasing distance from the mid-ocean ridges
b) the rocks get younger with increasing distance from the mid-ocean ridges
c) the rocks stay about the same age with increasing distance from the mid-ocean ridges
d) the magnetic patterns are symmetrical around the mid-ocean ridges (same on each side)
e) a and d
e) a and d
The lithospheric plates move because:
a) convection cells push heat up at ridges and cold descending plate edges descend at trenches
b) the tidal forces of the earth push them around
c) the spinning of the planet in its orbital path forces the plates to move
d) magnetic reversals drive them
e) none of the above
a) convection cells push heat up at ridges and cold descending plate edges descend at trenches
The magnetic field of the earth is generated by:
a) the tides
b) the pull of the moon on the earth
c) turbulence in the liquid outer core of the earth
d) turbulence in the upper atmosphere
e) none of the above
c) turbulence in the liquid outer core of the earth
From shortest residence time to longest residence time, the order of the Earth’s reservoirs is:
a) cryosphere, biosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere
b) hydrosphere, biosphere, atmosphere,
lithosphere, cryosphere
c) atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere, lithosphere
d) biosphere, atmosphere, cryosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere
e) lithosphere, atmosphere, biosphere, cryosphere, hydrosphere
c) atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere, lithosphere
Sediment on the floor of the open ocean is composed primarily of :
a) silt and clay, and biological remains called ooze
b) sand and gravel
c) granite and volcanic ash
d) metal ore
e) none of the above
a) silt and clay, and biological remains called ooze
The core of the earth:
a) is composed of dense, heavy elements that generate heat
b) is divided into an outer core and a small solid inner core
c) generates the Earth’s magnetic field
d) all of the above
e) none of the above
d) all of the above
The lithosphere is made of:
a) the crust and upper mantle
b) the crust and mantle above the core
c) the whole earth
d) the 15 kilometers immediately below the ocean bottom
e) none of the above
a) the crust and upper mantle
The major way heat is moved in the earth’s interior is by:
a) radiation
b) conduction
c) convection
d) transpression
e) none of the above
c) convection
Throughout ancient history, ocean navigation was done by:
a) using a detailed knowledge of coastal areas
b) studying the way wave patterns behave that reflect and refract from land
c) using the position of the stars and the height of the Sun
d) all of the above
e) a and c
d) all of the above
Hot magma pushes upward to make the new ocean floor at the mid-ocean ridges. This process is known as:
a) ridge push
b) ridge slide
c) slab pull
d) slab push
a) ridge push
Cooling ocean lithosphere sinks as it moves away from the mid ocean ridge area, and eventually is subducted and melted back into the asthenosphere. This process is known as:
a) ridge push
b) ridge slide
c) slab pull
d) slab push
c) slab pull
The speed of lithospheric plate motion is measured in:
a) miles per hour
b) centimeters per year
c) meters per second
d) kilometers per decade
b) centimeters per year
The mounds of water in the middle of gyres average only about 2 meters in height because there is a balance between:
a) velocity and temperature
b) gravity (pressure gradient) and coriolis effect
c) temperature and salinity
d) temperature and gravity (pressure gradient)
e) salinity and coriolis effect
b) gravity (pressure gradient) and coriolis effect
In a temperature salinity diagram, what is the vertical (y) axis?
a) salinity
b) temperature
c) density
d) wavelength
e) none of the above
b) temperature
In a temperature salinity diagram, what is the horizontal (x) axis?
a) salinity
b) temperature
c) density
d) wavelength
e) none of the above
a) salinity
Visible light penetrates ocean water. The colors that penetrate the deepest in ocean water are:
a) green and yellow, because they are scattered the least
b) red and orange, because they have the highest energy
c) blue and violet, because they have the highest energy
d) all the colors penetrate equality, because they are scattered the same way
e) none of the above
c) blue and violet, because they have the highest energy
Oxygen enters the ocean:
a) at all depths, from animal respiration and decay
b) just at the bottom, from hydrothermal vents and volcanos
c) just at the top, from photosynthesis and from the air
d) just in the middle, from animal respiration alone
e) just from undersea volcanic activity
c) just at the top, from photosynthesis and from the air
When does reproduction and hatching time from many marine invertebrates occur?
full moon and new moon
What is the word for a change in temperature?
thermocline
Where is the minimum velocity of sound channeled?
SOFAR channel
What is the average ocean salinity?
35 grams/Liter
What is the process of photosynthesis and respiration called?
Biological Pump
What type of tide has 2 high tides and 2 low tides in 24 hours?
semi-diurnal tides
Who believed the tides behaved like a giant wave?
Issac Newton
When a wave breaks, what is the ratio?
steepness reaches 1:7 height to length
The ions of Calcium and Bicarbonate/carbonate have a short residence time in ocean water because:
a) they are taken up by clays
b) they are used to make seashells, corals, and ooze
c) they are used to make hydrothermal vents
d) they stay in water column until eventually precipitated out as salt
e) none of the above
b) they are used to make seashells, corals, and ooze
The ions of sodium and chloride have a long residence time in ocean water because:
a) they are taken up by clays
b) they are used to make seashells, corals, and ooze
c) they are used to make hydrothermal vents
d) they stay in water column until eventually precipitated out as salt
e) none of the above
d) they stay in water column until eventually precipitated out as salt
Carbon dioxide is added to ocean water:
a) at all depths, mostly from animal respiration and decay
b) just at the bottom, from hydrothermal vents and volcanoes
c) just at the top, from photosynthesis and from the air
d) just in the middle only, from animal respiration alone
e) none of the above
a) at all depths, mostly from animal respiration and decay
Neap tides:
a) the same as low tides
b) controlled by geostrophic flow
c) behave as shallow water waves
d) caused by the straight alignment of the Earth, Sun, and Moon
e) none of the above
c) behave as shallow water waves
The temperature, salinity, and amount of oxygen of a water mass are taken on:
a) at depth, as the water mass travels along the ocean floor
b) at the surface, where the water mass forms
c) in the first thousand meters of depth
d) any time in the journey of the water mass
e) none of the above
b) at the surface, where the water mass forms
Oxygen can be more easily dissolved in:
a) fresher, colder water
b) fresher, warmer water
c) more saline, warmer water
d) more saline, colder water
e) none of the above
a) fresher, colder water
In the northern hemisphere, the most dense ocean water formed is:
a) Mediterranean water
b) North Atlantic Deep water
c) North Atlantic Intermediate water
d) Antarctic Bottom water
e) none of the above
b) North Atlantic Deep water
When waves break, the _____ gets smaller and the _______ gets larger, so that the wave becomes top-heavy and unstable, and falls.
a) period, height
b) wavelength, period
c) wavelength, height
d) crest, trough
e) height, wavelength
c) wavelength, height
The tide is an enormous wave that:
a) touches the bottom of the ocean everywhere
b) has a wavelength equal to the earth’s circumference
c) behaves as a deep water wave
d) is unaffected by the positions of the continents
e) all of the above
a) touches the bottom of the ocean everywhere
What are the two restoring forces?
friction and gravity
Waves in the ocean can:
a) be additive (constructive), and can form a rogue wave or superwave
b) release high amounts of energy when breaking, causing coastal erosion
c) occur as subsurface internal waves, occurring between deep water masses
d) all of the above
e) none of the above
d) all of the above
The coriolis effect turns wind and water currents:
a) more if the current is moving faster
b) to the left in the Northern Hemisphere
c) to the right in the Northern Hemisphere
d) none of the above
e) A and C only
e) A and C only
When buying coastal property, you know you can get online flood maps and erosion maps from:
a) NOAA
b) FEMA
c) USGS
d) NASA
e) b and c
e) b and c
The phytoplankton are called the primary producers because:
a) they produce food using sunlight
b) they are the first (primary) level in the trophic pyramid
c) they produce most of the sodium chloride in the ocean
d) all of the above
e) a and b only
e) a and b only
The least productive of ocean areas listed here is:
a) the middle of the gyres
b) upwelling areas
c) estuaries
d) shorelines
e) coral reefs
a) the middle of the gyres
A Red Tide occurs:
a) when the moon, earth, and sun are aligned
b) when the moon earth and sun make a right angle
c) when certain algae have a population “bloom”
d) all of the above
e) none of the above
c) when certain algae have a population “bloom”
Biological Amplification:
a) occurs in fish that puff up to avoid being eaten
b) involves the concentration of pollutants in organisms
c) does not occur in the ocean
d) is the increase of coastal erosion due to the action of living things
e) none of the above
b) involves the concentration of pollutants in organisms
Beach nourishment is an expensive way to save a beach because:
a) a donor sand source has to be found that may be far away
b) the sand grain size and shape (roundness) must be matched
c) the cost of bringing the new sand to the beach is enormous
d) all of the above
e) a and c only
d) all of the above
The most productive of ocean areas listed here is:
a) the middle of the gyres
b) open ocean
c) estuaries
d) shorelines
e) coral reefs
e) coral reefs
Who is the author of Silent Spring?
Rachel Carson
What is a heavy metal pollutant in the ocean?
Mercury
What are the nurseries of the sea?
estuaries
What is a keystone species?
significant to the survival of the community
There are far fewer top carnivores than any other group of organisms in the trophic pyramid:
a) because there is so little free oxygen in the ocean
b) because there is an equal amount of protein at every level of the trophic pyramid
c) because there is a loss of usable energy at every stage of the pyramid
d) a and b
e) none of the above
c) because there is a loss of usable energy at every stage of the pyramid
The plankton group includes:
a) immature (larval) stages of invertebrates
b) algae
c) microscopic crustaceans
d) bacteria, protozoans, and viruses
e) all of the above
e) all of the above
If caught in a rip current, what should you do?
swim parallel to the shoreline, then angle in towards shore
Heavy metals, such as lead and mercury:
a) are concentrated in estuaries
b) are no longer of major concern to environmentalists
c) do not affect the food chain
d) are not health risks to humans
e) none of the above
a) are concentrated in estuaries
Plastic pollution is a very modern problem. In the ocean, plastic garbage is particularly bad because:
a) most of the pieces are very small
b) most of the pieces float just partially submerged
c) birds, fish, sea turtles, seals, and other animals mistake plastic for food
d) plastic degrades very slowly
e) all of the above
e) all of the above
Estuaries are biologically extremely productive because:
a) there are more nutrients available
b) they are the cleanest parts of the oceans
c) there are fewer predators in estuaries
d) a and c
e) all of the above
d) a and c
Primary productivity occurs:
a) everywhere in the trophic pyramid
b) at the top
c) at the middle part
d) at the base of the pyramid
e) none of the above
d) at the base of the pyramid
Estuaries are rich in nutrients because:
a) estuaries occur at the mouths of rivers
b) nutrients come in from rivers and also from the sea
c) nutrients are manufactured by crustacean populations
d) a and b
e) none of the above
d) a and b
As continental glaciers melt, we can expect the ocean to respond by:
a) a drop in sea level
b) getting more salty
c) a rise in sea level
d) stay unchanged
e) none of the above
c) a rise in sea level
Rip currents occur:
a) when a narrow, fast moving current heads off shore
b) as part of coastal current activity, following storms
c) most often in the deep ocean
d) a and b
e) none of the above
d) a and b
An estuary in which there is a gradual change in the salinity of the water is:
a) a fjord
b) a salt-wedge estuary
c) a well-mixed estuary
d) a and b
e) none of the above
c) a well-mixed estuary
The water in most estuaries tend to be less salty:
a) at the top of the water column, in the surface water
b) in the middle of the water column
c) at the bottom of the water column
d) out to sea
e) none of the above
a) at the top of the water column, in the surface water
Nitrates and phosphates entering estuaries from fertilizer run-off:
a) kill phytoplankton
b) cause an algal bloom of high productivity
c) can trigger a red tide
d) b and c
e) none of the above
d) b and c
Mangroves are tropical coastal forests that:
a) live where the warm gyre currents from the equatorial area can reach them
b) live where the cool gyre currents from high latitutdes can reach them
c) play a major role in stabilizing the tropical coastlines
d) all of the above
e) a and c only
e) a and c only
Shorelines that are not altered by human interference tend to smooth out over time because:
a) the longshore current takes all the sand away
b) the wave action converges on headlands and wears them away by erosion
c) the wave action diverges in bays and is not as focused
d) b and c
e) none of the above
d) b and c
Some design features that improve the survive of a beach house include:
a) building it behind the dunes that face the ocean
b) building it like building a pier with many deep, strong 8”x8” inch posts
c) building the roof no higher than the surrounding maritime forest trees
d) building it within the protective surroundings of the maritime forest trees
e) all of the above
e) all of the above
U.S. coastal erosion rates are highest:
a) along the California coastline and along the mid-Atlantic U.S. coastline
b) along the Gulf of Mexico
c) along the northwest (Washington and Oregon) coastline
d) where longshore current is weakest
e) none of the above
a) along the California coastline and along the mid-Atlantic U.S. coastline
Marine animals living in estuaries must be able to:
a) tolerate big salinity changes
b) tolerate big temperature changes
c) tolerate big pressure changes
d) b and c only
e) none of the above
a) tolerate big salinity changes
A tsunami or seismic sea wave is a wave that is:
a) a highly destructive, episodic wave
b) is typically caused by an earthquake in the floor of the ocean
c) travels at speeds averaging 400 miles per hour in the open ocean
d) behaves as a shallow water wave
e) all of the above
e) all of the above
Bioamplification results in:
a) top carnivores having higher amounts of mercury and organic toxins like PCBs in their tissues
b) increasing amounts of certain pollutants up the trophic pyramid
c) low amounts of pollutants in ocean water becoming high amounts in some organisms
d) all of the above
e) none of the above
d) all of the above
Kelp forests:
a) important feeding habitats for many marine animals
b) forests composed of marine macro-algae
c) shown to have very high biodiversity
d) all of the above
e) a and b only
d) all of the above
