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oceanography test Flashcards

1
Q
A
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2
Q

What is the euphotic zone?

A

The top zone of water, has enough light penetrating to permit photosynthesis.

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3
Q

What is the photic zone?

A

A zone that has light but usually not enough for photosynthesis.

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4
Q

What is the aphotic zone?

A

A zone where no light penetrates.

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5
Q

What is the benthic zone?

A

The zone on the bottom of the water level; it doesn’t have to be the bottom, can be on the continental slope.

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6
Q

What is the abyssal zone?

A

The deep-sea bottom, which is dark and cold.

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7
Q

What are nekton?

A

Organisms that swim freely in ocean currents, such as fish and dolphins.

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8
Q

What are plankton?

A

Microscopic plants and animals that float around in ocean currents, including zooplankton and phytoplankton.

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9
Q

How does water temperature change with depth?

A

Water temperature should decrease with depth; the bottom layer should be slightly colder.

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10
Q

What is the thermocline?

A

A layer where temperature drops.

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11
Q

What is the halocline?

A

A layer where salinity drops.

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12
Q

What is the pycnocline?

A

A layer where density drops.

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13
Q

Where is temperature highest in the ocean?

A

Temperature is highest at low latitudes.

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14
Q

How does salinity vary in the ocean?

A

Salinity varies and is not highest at the equator due to higher precipitation.

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15
Q

Where is high salinity found?

A

High salinity is around 30 degrees latitude, where there is high evaporation and low precipitation.

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16
Q

What drives thermohaline circulation?

A

Thermohaline circulation is driven by density differences.

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17
Q

What drives the Equatorial counter currents?

A

Trade winds by Coriolis drive the Equatorial counter currents.

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18
Q

How do prevailing winds affect ocean currents?

A

They create surface currents in the water

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19
Q

What is the Coriolis effect?

A

The Coriolis effect causes water to move right in the Northern Hemisphere and left in the Southern Hemisphere.

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20
Q

What are eddies?

A

Eddies are circular currents of water

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21
Q

What is the difference between warm core and cold core eddies?

A

Warm core eddies are clockwise, while cold core eddies are counterclockwise.(flipped in southern hemisphere)

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22
Q

What is Ekman transport?

A

Water goes at an average of 90 degrees from the wind direction due to Ekman transport.

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23
Q

What is geostrophic flow?

A

Ekman transport creates a moun of water, and water travels around the mound in loop balancing the forces of gravity and the Coriolis effect.

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24
Q

How does the Coriolis effect influence gyres?

A

Gyres in the North are clockwise, and gyres in the South are counterclockwise due to geostrophic flow.

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25
Q

What is the relationship between air circulation and pressure?

A

(Trade) winds move from high pressure to low pressure, driven by pressure belts.

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26
Q

What is the effect of the Coriolis effect on wind?

A

The Coriolis effect deflects air to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere.(which in turn deflects water)

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27
Q

What is air pressure?

A

Air pressure is the weight caused by gravity of a column of air, varying by elevation.

28
Q

What causes wind?

A

Wind is the result of horizontal differences in air pressure.

29
Q

How many gyres are there around the globe?

A

There are 5 gyres around the globe: N and S Atlantic, N and S Pacific, and Indian Ocean gyre. (4 currents in each gyre)

30
Q

What is the difference between western and eastern currents in gyres?

A

Western currents are narrow, fast, warm, and deeper; eastern currents are wide, slower, cold, and more towards the surface.

31
Q

What happens when wind blows on the ocean surface?

A

Wind pushes water away into a coast where it has nowhere to go but down (Ekman transport), leading to upwelling that brings water from below to replace it.

32
Q

Where is the Coriolis effect stronger?

A

Coriolis effect is stronger at higher latitudes (poles) due to the Earth’s higher rotational velocity.

33
Q

How do winds affect ocean water?

A

Winds move ocean water through friction.

34
Q

Where is high pressure located in a 3 celled model?

A

High pressure is at 30N/S and the poles.

35
Q

Where is low pressure located in a 3 celled model?

A

Low pressure is at 50-60N/S and the equator.

36
Q

What drives trade winds?

A

Trade winds go from high pressure to low pressure, driven by pressure belts.

37
Q

What are the three main cells in the three-celled model of atmospheric circulation?

A

The three main cells are the Hadley cell, the Ferrel cell, and the Polar cell.

38
Q

True or False: The Hadley cell is responsible for the trade winds.

A

True

39
Q

Fill in the blank: The trade winds blow from the ____ to the ____ in the tropics.

A

east; west

40
Q

What direction do the easterlies blow in the Northern Hemisphere?

A

From the northeast to the southwest.

41
Q

Multiple Choice: Which cell is located between the Hadley cell and the Polar cell?

A

Ferrel cell

42
Q

What is the primary driving force behind the trade winds?

A

The Coriolis effect and the pressure gradient force.

43
Q

True or False: The Polar cell is characterized by rising air at the poles.

A

False

44
Q

Short Answer: Describe the general movement of air in the Ferrel cell.

A

Air moves poleward and eastward at higher altitudes and returns equatorward and westward at lower altitudes.

45
Q

What is the significance of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) in the three-celled model?

A

The ITCZ is where the trade winds from both hemispheres converge, leading to rising air and precipitation.

46
Q

Fill in the blank: The easterlies are also known as the ____ winds.

A

trade

47
Q

What is a trophic level?

A

The position an organism occupies in a food chain (higher is higher in the food chain/web)

48
Q

What is an autotroph?

A

An organism that makes its own food/energy.

Photoautotroph uses sunlight (photosynthesis), Chemoautotroph uses chemicals like bacteria.

49
Q

What is a heterotroph?

A

Consumers in food chains that eat other organisms.

50
Q

What are primary consumers?

A

Herbivores that consume primary producers (e.g., snails, grazing animals).

51
Q

What are secondary consumers?

A

Carnivores that eat the primary consumers.

52
Q

What are tertiary consumers?

A

Carnivores that eat secondary consumers.

53
Q

What is a detritivore?

A

An organism that feeds on dead/decomposing organisms.

54
Q

What is a decomposer?

A

A detritivore that breaks down organic matter and recycles nutrients back into the environment.

55
Q

What is the 10% rule?

A

The amount of energy in the ecosystem is decreased by 90% with increasing trophic levels because the organism only consumes about 10% of the energy.

56
Q

What are abiotic factors?

A

Factors that affect an ecosystem that are nonliving (e.g., climate, humidity).

57
Q

What are biotic factors?

A

Factors that affect an ecosystem that are living (e.g., bacteria, fungi).

58
Q

What is the global conveyor belt?

A

The constant moving water due to varying temperature and salinity in the ocean (transporting warm to cold and cold to warm) as a result of thermohaline circulation.

59
Q

What does ppts stand for?

A

Parts per thousand, a ratio used to refer to concentrations of salinity in water.

60
Q

What is western boundary intensification?

A

Western boundary intensification is the phenomenon where ocean currents, particularly warm currents, are intensified along the western boundaries of ocean basins.

61
Q

True or False: Western boundary intensification is primarily observed in the eastern boundaries of ocean currents.

A

False

62
Q

Fill in the blank: The Gulf Stream is an example of a __________ current that exhibits western boundary intensification.

A

warm

63
Q

Which factors contribute to western boundary intensification?

A

Factors include the Earth’s rotation (Coriolis effect), wind patterns, and the geometry of ocean basins.

64
Q

What is the primary effect of western boundary intensification on climate?

A

It affects regional climates by transporting warm water poleward, influencing weather patterns and temperatures.

65
Q
A

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