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Oceanography
quizes & tests
138
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Undergraduate 2
11/26/2009

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Cards

Term
How old is the Earth (approximately)?
Definition
4.6 Billion years
Term
What % of the water on or neat the Earth's surface is found in the World Ocean?
Definition
97
Term
There is evidence of liquid water (now or in the distant past)on all of the following EXCEPT
Definition
Earths Moon
Term
What biologically important gas is abundant in todays atmosphere, but was rare/absent in the Earth's early atmosphere?
Definition
O2
Term
According to the fossil record, how long ago did life first appear on Earth?
Definition
3.5 billion years
Term
What % of the Earth's surface is covered by water?
Definition
71
Term
Which ocean is the largest?
Definition
Pacific
Term
Which ocean is the smallest?
Definition
Arctic
Term
Which group of people invented the compass, central rudder, and watertight compartments while exploring the Indian, Indonesian and Atlantic Oceans?
Definition
Chinese
Term
Which European was the first to view the North American coast?
Definition
Leif Ericksson
Term
An echo sounder is most commonly used to determine?
Definition
Depth
Term
Whose expedition was the first to circumnavigate the world?
Definition
Magellen & del Cano
Term
What new nautical instrument was critical to the success of the voyages of Captain James Cook
Definition
chronometer
Term
The __________ is often referred to as the beginning of MODERN marine science.
Definition
Challenger Expedition
Term
in 1912, Alfred Wegner first proposed the theory of
Definition
a continental drift
Term
Our understanding of Earth's layered interior comes most directly from the study of
Definition
Seismic waves
Term
The interior of the Earth is hot due primarily to
Definition
radioactive decay
Term
Which famous Greek was one of the first scholars to catalog marine organisms?
Definition
Aristotle
Term
How long does it tale the Sun to cross 60 degrees of longitude?
Definition
4 hours
Term
Where is the majority of new seafloor created?
Definition
divergent plate boundaries
Term
The Hawaiian Island chain best illustrates a
Definition
Hot spot
Term
What is the name of the supercontinent proposed by Wegener?
Definition
Pangaea
Term
Continental shelves are
Definition
seaward extensions of the continents that are often exposed during glacial periods
Term
Which continent is part of the Mid-Atlantic ridge?
Definition
Iceland
Term
Considered a passive continental margin
Definition
east coast of the US
Term
The 4 main categories of marine sediments are classified by
Definition
origin
Term
Where are neritic sediments found?
Definition
Continental shelf
Term
Why doesn't the marine sediment record extend back t the time of the origin of the World Ocean
Definition
Ocean has been recycled
Term
allows us to collect geologic material from more than 2 km below the seafloor
Definition
rotary drilling
Term
the primary photosynthetic organisms in siliceous ooze
Definition
diatoms
Term
Manganese nodules are a form of
Definition
Hydrogenous marine sediment
Term
Water molecules are attracted to one another via
Definition
hydrogen bonds
Term
substance that has the highest heat capacity
Definition
ammonia
Term
The energy produced by random vibrations of atoms of molecules best describes
Definition
heat
Term
the maximum density of pure water occurs at
Definition
3.98 degrees C
Term
What is the average depth of the world ocean?
Definition
3.5km
Term
Which has more heat, a lit match, or a swimming pool full of warm water?
Definition
Swimming Pool
Term
The most abundant ion in seawater is
Definition
Chloride
Term
The density of seawater is most affected by which 2 characteristics of water?
Definition
Temperature and Salinity
Term
Objects at depth (~150 m) appear what color? (because this is the wavelength of light that is least absorbed by water)
Definition
blue
Term
Where is the photic zone located?
Definition
the top of the surface zone
Term
if new york city is under an area of high atmospheric pressure, and we (here in Southampton) are under an area of love atmospheric pressure, then surface winds in the middle of Long Island will be moving to the
Definition
East
Term
The Gulf Stream is an example of a
Definition
western boundary current
Term
What is the maximum tilt angle of the Earth with respect to the ecliptic?
Definition
23.50
Term
Waves move _______ across ocean basins.
Definition
energy
Term
What is the restoring force for large wind waves?
Definition
gravity
Term
Tsunami can be generated by
Definition
displacement of water above shifted seafloor
Term
If a wave train have a wavelength of 14 m, the waves will begin to break when their height exceeds _____m
Definition
2
Term
rogue waves are usually caused by
Definition
constructive interference
Term
A wave train approaching a beach with a period of 10 seconds will have a frequency of ___/hour.
Definition
360
Term
what is the ultimate source of energy used by most organisms on Earth?
Definition
the Sun
Term
how often do spring tides occur?
Definition
twice a month
Term
a coastal location with 2 high tides each day, both with the same height, is experiencing
Definition
semi diurnal tides
Term
photosynthetic and chemosynthetic organisms are also called
Definition
autotrophs
Term
a _____ is a group of organisms of the same species occupying a specific area
Definition
population
Term
beaches can be characterized by ______, _________ &_________.
Definition
particle size, wave action & abration
Term
What percentage of the World's population lives within 60 km of the coast?
Definition
> 50%
Term
What is the average salinity of the ocean?
Definition
3.5%
Term
convection occurs within the Earths
Definition
Mantle
Term
food webs in hydrothermal vent communities are dependent on
Definition
Chemosynthetic bacteria
Term
Sea level is rising in Southern England and falling in Northern Scotland illustrates the principle of
Definition
Isostasy
Term
When oceanic plates converge, what geologic feature is most likely to occur?
Definition
volcanic island arc
Term
the smallest reservoirs for water on Earth are
Definition
rivers
Term
the invention of John Harrison's chronometer gave ocean explorers the ability to first accurately determine
Definition
Longitude
Term
Satellite altimetry is dependent on ________ to determine seabed topography
Definition
gravitational attraction
Term
An example of transform boundary
Definition
San Andreas Fault
Term
Which geological feature is most directly the result of diverging tectonic plates?
Definition
East African Rift Valley
Term
Benjamin Franklin and his whaling-captain cousin Tim Folger were the first to accurately chart
Definition
the Gulf Stream
Term
The first voyage designed designed solely to collect oceanographic data was the
Definition
HMS Challenger
Term
For marine sediment to be classified as biogenious ooze, it must contain at least ____% biogenic sediment
Definition
30
Term
The ________ of magnetite particles can tell us the latitude at which a rock was formed
Definition
dip angle
Term
oceanic crust is composed primarily of
Definition
Basalt
Term
continental crust is composed
Definition
Granite
Term
What is the depth and location of the deepest point in the Ocean
Definition
11 km, Mariana
Term
The ______ defeated the _______ in 1588 and went on to lead the early scientific exploration of the oceans
Definition
British / Spanish
Term
On a hot sunny day, beach sand will heat up much faster than a puddle of water. This phenomenon is most directly due to which property of water?
Definition
Heat capacity
Term
examples of resources that can be extracted from hydrogenous marine sediment are
Definition
manganese nodules, metal sulfides, evaporate salts
Term
The bedrock of Florida, the blocks composing the Great Pyramids, and the White Cliffs of Dover are all composed of which kind of marine sediment?
Definition
Calcareous
Term
Hurricanes are classified by
Definition
maximum sustained wind
Term
Hydrogen bonds
Definition
hold water molecules to one another
Term
radiolarians
Definition
can contribute to siliceous ooze
Term
the pH of the Ocean is?
Definition
8.1
Term
For people living directly on the shoreline, the greatest threat from hurricanes is typically
Definition
storm surge
Term
All of the following are required for hurricane formation
Definition
warm moist air, sea surface temperatures of >26 degrees C & the Coriolis Effect
Term
What is the change in temperature (degrees C) as water changes state between liquid and vapor?
Definition
0
Term
Shallow-dwelling algea appears green in natural light because
Definition
the plant's pigments absorb all wavelengths except green
Term
The remains of ________ contain oil droplets and are thought to be the largest contributor to the formation of oil and gas deposits in the seabed
Definition
diatoms
Term
Lithogenous sediments are derived from
Definition
continents
Term
Penguins within the Antarctic circle receive 24 hours of daylight
Definition
Winter Solstice
Term
_________ can be determined using conductivity or a refractometer
Definition
ocean salinity
Term
marine sediments formed by precipitation from seawater
Definition
manganese nodules, evaporates, oolite sand
Term
The Principle of Constant Proportions refers to
Definition
our ability to measure seawater salinity using the concentration of only one constituent
Term
When is the Vernal Equinox
Definition
March 21
Term
in which oceanic are would we most likely find calcareous ooze?
Definition
mid-ocean ridge
Term
Monsoons are caused by
Definition
seasonal changes in wind direction
Term
Where did the water in the Ocean com from?
Definition
outgassing & comets
Term
water reaches its highest density at
Definition
4 degrees C
Term
which substance has the highest heat capacity?
Definition
pure water
Term
Over the past hundred years the death toll from hurricanes has generally
Definition
decreased
Term
Over the past hundred years the property damage from hurricanes has generally
Definition
increased
Term
all else being equal, moist air is ________ dense than dry air
Definition
Less
Term
Due to the differential heating capacity of land and water, morning (~8 am) coastal breezes usually blow from
Definition
the ocean to the land
Term
The equator is an area of ______ pressure that is typically _________
Definition
Low / rainy
Term
Coccolithophores are plants composed of
Definition
Calcium carbonate
Term
Generally with increasing ocean depth
Definition
Temperature decreases
salinity increases
density increases
Term
In the Northern Hemisphere, hurricanes rotate
Definition
counter clockwise
Term
Sound moves more ________ in water than in air
Definition
quickly
Term
on the surface of the Earth there is a high pressure zone
Definition
directly below where Hadley and Ferrel cells meet
Term
on the surface of the Earth winds move in a counter clockwise direction around a high pressure zone in
Definition
the Southern Hemisphere
Term
on the surface of the Earth the highest amount of solar radiation/unit area occurs
Definition
at the Equator
Term
the Coriolos Force is most pronounced when objects move long distances across lines of
Definition
latitude
Term
which has higher heat, a candle flame or a swimming pool full of warm water?
Definition
a pool of warm water because there is more kinetic energy
Term
What is Tektite
Definition
a small, rounded, glassy component of cosmogenous sediments, usually less than 1.5 millimeters in length, thought to have formed from the impact of an asteroid or meteor on the crust of the Earth or the moon
Term
locations with 2 high tides each day, each with similar heights have a
Definition
semidiurnal tidal pattern
Term
ocean waves transport ________ over great distances
Definition
energy
Term
during the winter, large volumes of sand are often moved from the foreshore to _______ on temperate beaches
Definition
longshore bars
Term
most marine organisms have an internal temperature very close to that of their surroundings. They are known as
Definition
ectothermic organisms
Term
What type of geologic feature are you currently sitting above?
Definition
Glacial moriane
Term
Most surface waves in the ocean are caused by
Definition
wind
Term
capillary waves restoring force is
Definition
surface tension
Term
The time it takes for two crests to pass a stationary point refers to the
Definition
period of a wave
Term
While spawning, grunions in California take advantage of
Definition
spring tides
Term
the production of food from inorganic molecules in the environment. No solar energy is required
Definition
chenosynthesis
Term
wind generated waves begin as
Definition
capillary waves
Term
most primary productivity in the ocean occurs in the
Definition
euphotic zone
Term
waves that break directly on shore are
Definition
surging
Term
The Nile River Delta has a smooth shoreline. It is classified as a
Definition
wave dominated delta
Term
which type of wave is most hazardous to container ships in the open ocean?
Definition
rogue
Term
The Hudson River is an example of a salt wedge estuary. This means that
Definition
river output is much higher than the marine input
Term
longer wavelength waves that travel farther and outdistance other waves formed from an ocean storm are referred to as
Definition
swell
Term
Where do the World's largest tides occur?
Definition
Bay of Fundy, New Brunswick
Term
Cold core rings spinning off the Gulf Stream will
Definition
spin counterclockwise
Term
warming of the Ocean will cause a
Definition
eustatic change in sea level
Term
in most food webs, how much energy (in the form of carbon) is usually transferred from a lower to higher trophic level?
Definition
10%
Term
where do internal waves occur?
Definition
along a pycnocline
Term
in most trophic pyramids, successively lower trophic levels have
Definition
individuals with a faster generation time
Term
In the Northern Hemisphere, when a wind blows across the surface of the ocean for a sustained period, the net transport of all water affected by that wind is
Definition
90 degrees to the right of the wind
Term
Which surface current transports water across all lines of longitude?
Definition
Antarctic Circumpolar Current
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