Hydrosphere Exam

Question 1

Oceans cover

Answer 1

25% of earth’s surface

Question 2

Movement of ocean currents from the equator to the poles on a global scale results in

Answer 2

Distribution of heat from the equator to the poles

Question 3

At high latitudes the primary productivity is controlled by

Answer 3

Seasonal changes in sunlight

Question 4

Major water problems of the western United States include:

Answer 4

Chronic drought and insufficient runoff

Question 5

True or False? The surface of the oceans is generally water than the bottom layer

Answer 5

True

Question 6

True or false? Water has flown on Earth since the past 13.8 billion years

Answer 6

False

Question 7

What is the average depth of the ocean

Answer 7

4000 m

Question 8

What is the driving force for surface ocean current

Answer 8

Global Winds

Question 9

Density of sea surface water

Answer 9

Is higher at high latitude (at the poles)

Question 10

Which of the following is NOT correct regarding the term subsidence?

Answer 10

Subsidence is a reversible process

Question 11

Which layer of the ocean allows for photosynthesis to occur because of sunlight penetration?

Answer 11

Epipelagic zone

Question 12

The organisms that live around hydrothermal vents are supported by

Answer 12

Chemical nutrients from Earth’s interior

Question 13

A land area that drains water to a particular stream, river, lake is called:

Answer 13

Watershed

Question 14

Surface currents circulate in different directions, depending on the ______ in which they occur

Answer 14

Hemisphere

Question 15

Dissolved oxygen is water varies widely because of:

Answer 15

Living organisms, temperature, atmospheric pressure, salinity

Question 16

Phytoplankton are microscopic plants living in the surface layer of the oceans

Answer 16

True

Question 17

If the Earth had NO ocean:

Answer 17

The range of surface temperatures on earth would be much greater than it is now

Question 18

In California, the greatest user of water is:

Answer 18

Agriculture

Question 19

Which of the following is NOT a symptom of eutrophication?

Answer 19

Excessively high oxygen levels

Question 20

Snow in the Sierra Nevada provides about water ________ of the residents in California

Answer 20

30%

Question 21

About 96% of water is saltwater found in oceans while the remaining 4% is freshwater. Where would the majority of freshwater on earth be found?

Answer 21

Icecaps and glaciers

Question 22

True or False? About 50% of all photosynthesis in the world is carried out by phytoplankton

Answer 22

True

Question 23

True or False? More than 1% of the world’s fresh water is accessible for direct human uses

Answer 23

False

Question 24

The hydrologic cycle is the movement of

Answer 24

Water through the various reservoirs of the hydrosphere

Question 25

El Nino

Answer 25

Low pressure system over Tahiti (mid-Pacific ocean)

Question 26

Upwelling

Answer 26

Vertical transport of deep water towards the surface

Question 27

Mid-ocean gyres

Answer 27

Circulation in the ocean characterized by intensified currents on their western boundaries

Question 28

Ocean Currents

Answer 28

Global heat redistribution form equator to mid-latitudes

Question 29

La Nina

Answer 29

Dry winters in the Southwest of the US