question

The Earth's magnetic field changes polarity _________.

answer

Randomly with no clear pattern

question

The reddish color of the pelagic clays is due to the oxidation of minerals rich in _________.

answer

Iron

question

The size of the Earth _________.

answer

Does not appear to be changing

question

The basaltic crust is being destroyed along _________.

answer

Subduction zones

question

Bathymetry refers to:

answer

Submarine topography of the ocean

question

The Earth's core contains high concentrations of _________.

answer

Iron and nickel

question

Submarine canyons are considered part of the:

answer

Continental margin

question

Much of land in Scandinavia is rising at incremental (i.e., cm) intervals on an annual basis due to:

answer

Isostatic rebound

question

The first stage in the history of oceanography was primarily a time of exploration and describing ocean boundaries.

answer

True

question

Oceanography is customarily divided into four categories, which are _________.

answer

Physical, geological, chemical, biological

question

The Deep Water Horizon Spill was different from most spill clean-ups in the past in the oil was released from _________ and _________ were added.

answer

Bottom waters, dispersants

question

A sediment deposit that is well sorted is likely to have been deposited at a _________ rate.

answer

Slow

question

A Hjulstrom diagram is a plot of _________.

answer

Current velocity versus particle size

question

Ferromanganese nodules are _________.

answer

A potentially valuable economic resource

question

At least _________ of the content of 'biogenic' ooze must come from microscopic organisms.

answer

30%

question

Sea-floor spreading occurs at a rate of _________ cm/ year.

answer

5

question

Mud is typically made of silt and _________

answer

sized materials. - Clay

question

Dredge samplers are used to collect samples of _________.

answer

Rock or sediment in bulk quantities

question

Floating and drifting single-celled plants can be referred to as _________.

answer

Phytoplankton

question

The mid-oceanic province:

answer

Contains rift valleys which are bounded by faults indicating that the sea floor periodically was pulled apart at the rift.

question

The mercury problem in the Everglades and all of Florida is compounded by inputs of Hg from _________

answer

Global sources scrubbed from the stratosphere by clouds

question

A magnetometer measures _________.

answer

Both B and D (the strength and orientation of the Earth's magnetic field; the strength and orientation of the rock's magnetic field)

question

Ocean basins get wider with time due to _________.

answer

Sea-floor spreading

question

Island Chains are formed when a tectonic plate moves across a _________.

answer

Mantle plume

question

The outermost shell of the Earth is called the _________.

answer

Crust

question

The asthenosphere is a portion of the _________.

answer

Mantle

question

The deepest parts of the oceans are the _________.

answer

Trenches

question

Plates move apart along _________ plate boundaries.

answer

Divergent

question

The continental margin:

answer

Consists of the shelf, slope, rise, and abyssal

question

Fine and coarse grains of sediment produced by weathering on land are termed _________ sediment.

answer

Lithogenic

question

Sediment particles precipitated near the sea floor by chemical or biochemical reactions are termed _________ sediments

answer

Hydrogenic

question

The boundary between the upper mantle and the crust is called the:

answer

Moho

question

The axis of the mid-ocean ridged is segmented by a series of _________.

answer

Transform faults

question

The Earth's crust "floats" on the mantle through the principle of _________.

answer

Isostasy

question

The water beneath the Earth's surface is termed _________.

answer

Ground water

question

All of today's land masses were joined together in the mega-continent of Pangaea about _________ million years ago.

answer

200

question

Continents differ from the sea flood in that:

answer

All of the above (continents are made of granite and sea floor is composed of basalt, continental rock is less dense than sea floor rock, continental rock is rich in aluminum and sea floor rock is rich in magnesium)

question

Wegener's supercontinent was called _________.

answer

Pangaea

question

Mid-ocean ridges show _________.

answer

All of the above (high heat flow, seismicity, volcanism)

question

Glacial marine sediments are produced by _________.

answer

Ice rafting

question

The processes which break rock and minerals into smaller particles are collectively termed _________.

answer

Weathering

question

Magnetometer data across a mid-ocean ridge shows alternating bands of _________.

answer

Young and old rock

question

The Himalayan Mountain Range of Asia is an example of a _________ plate boundary.

answer

Convergent

question

The "father of oceanography":

answer

Matthew Maury

question

Earth can be divided into a series of concentric layers or shells:

answer

All of the above (based upon composition; physical state; density)

question

To test the hypothesis of sea floor spreading, magnetometer data had to be combined with _________.

answer

Coring data

question

Atlantic-type continental margins are characterized by _________.

answer

Deep sedimentation

question

One of the unique features about the subsidence problems in the Venice Lagoon that is not common in many other delta systems around the world is _________.

answer

Plate subduction

question

Island Chains are characterized by _________.

answer

A linear increase in island age from one end to the other

question

Variations in magnetic fields are termed magnetic _________.

answer

Anomalies

question

A pycnocline is created by strong vertical gradients in ________

answer

Temperature or salinity

question

The vertical movement of a fluid is termed ________

answer

Convection

question

Currents in the surf zone that flow parallel to the shoreline are called ________ currents

answer

Longshore

question

The near horizontal, flat surface of a backshore is called a ________

answer

Berm

question

The biggest problem with wetland loss on the Louisiana coast near the Mississippi delta is ________

answer

Levees on the river

question

The basic idea of the iron fertilizer experiment is that________

answer

Fe was limiting micronutrient for phytoplankton

question

The most important role of sand dune vegetation is ________

answer

Stabilize the sound of the dunes

question

Which of the following is NOT characteristic of barrier islands?

answer

A leeward cliff zone

question

A far-shaped accumulation of sand on the leeward of a barrier island that is depositied by storm waves overtopping the island is termed a ________ fan.

answer

Washover

question

A triangular deposit of sediment at the mouth of a river is termed a/an ________

answer

Delta

question

Sand budgets are the principal sand ________ and sand ________ for a stretch of shoreline

answer

Credits; debits

question

Sand is removed from a section of shoreline by _________.

answer

Offshore transport and wind erosion

question

The structure that is built to prevent or diminish sediment deposition at the mouth of harbors is called a _________.

answer

Jetty

question

Structures that are built along eroding beaches to trap sand artificially and promote accretion are _________.

answer

Groins

question

Seawalls _________ the turbulence of the water at the front of the barrier.

answer

Increase

question

The dominant elements dissolved in seawater are _________.

answer

Na and Cl

question

The protons and neutrons of an atom are located in the _________.

answer

Nucleus

question

Atoms of the same element that have different numbers of neutrons are called _________.

answer

Isotopes

question

Rip currents form when _________.

answer

Longshore currents converge

question

Which of the following is NOT one of the subdivisions of the "beach"?

answer

Estuary

question

The furthest extent of ice advance during an ice age is often marked by _________.

answer

A terminal moraine

question

The substances dissolved in seawater are collectively called _________.

answer

Solutes

question

The symbol '0/00' stand for _________.

answer

Parts per thousand

question

If you apply heat to a material, the agitation of its molecules and atoms _________.

answer

Increases

question

The process in which water molecules change to a gas at temperatures below the boiling point is called _________.

answer

Evaporation

question

The amount of mass contained in a unit volume is termed _________.

answer

Density

question

A molecule that has a positively-charged end and a negatively-charged end is termed a/ an _________ molecule.

answer

Dipolar

question

The weak chemical bond that forms between bipolar molecules is called a/ an _________ bond.

answer

Hydrogen

question

A negatively-charged ion is called a/an _________.

answer

Anion

question

When water is added to a substance, the process is known as _________.

answer

Hydration

question

Water reaches its maximum density at _________ C.

answer

3.98

question

The average salinity of seawater is _________ 0/00

answer

35

question

The 'Principle of Constant Proportion' allows us to determine the salinity of a sample of seawater by measuring the concentration of _________.

answer

Cl-

question

The total dissolved materials in seawater is termed _________.

answer

Salinity

question

A _________ measures the salt content of water indirectly, by measuring electrical conductivity.

answer

Salinometer

question

Over a long time period, the input of salts to the ocean _________ the output.

answer

Balances

question

A very salty solution is termed _________.

answer

Brine

question

Large masses of floating ice that broke off of glaciers and were carried out to sea are called _________.

answer

Icebergs

question

The chemical breakdown of food in cells for the release of energy is _________.

answer

Respiration

question

The well-lighted portion of the ocean is termed the _________ zone.

answer

Photic

question

Laguna Madre, the lagoon between Padre Island and the mainland, is very salty because of _________.

answer

High rates of evaporation and limited exchange with the ocean

question

Islands that are large deposits of sand separated from the mainland by the water of lagoons, bays, and estuaries are called _________.

answer

Barrier islands

question

The SOFAR channel is a channel of minimum _________.

answer

Sound velocity

question

_________ light is transmitted the farthest distance through water.

answer

Blue

question

The surface microlayer is the surface where chemicals are exchanged between the ocean and the _________.

answer

Atmosphere

question

The oceans are considered to be well buffered due to the concentration of _________ found there.

answer

Carbonates and bicarbonates

question

Carbon dioxide dissolves more readily in cold versus warm waters.

answer

True

question

The average length of time an ion remains in solution in the ocean is termed _________.

answer

Residence time

question

Increasing the salinity of water _________ its freezing point.

answer

Decreases

question

Lines which connect points of equal temperature on an oceanographic chart are termed _________.

answer

Isotherms

question

Species diversity in estuaries is low due to _________.

answer

Widely fluctuating environmental conditions

question

If an estuary is a river-dominated system, its water column is _________.

answer

Highly stratified

question

Marsh grasses are typically rooted in _________.

answer

Mud

question

Wind is caused by _________.

answer

Differences in air pressure

question

Rogue waves are created by _________ wave interferences.

answer

Constructive

question

Tsunamis are waves created by _________ activity.

answer

All of the above (earthquake, volcanic, tectonic, faulting)

question

Tides are waves with very large _________.

answer

Wavelengths

question

Areas that have one high tide and one low tide each day have _________ tides.

answer

Diurnal

question

High tides are highest and low tides are lowest during _________.

answer

Spring tides

question

A visible wave that surges upriver with the incoming tide is called a _________.

answer

Tidal bore

question

The Coriolis deflection is caused by _________.

answer

The rotation of the Earth on its axis

question

A series of parallel, counter-rotating circulation cells with long axes aligned parallel to the direction of the generation wind is called _________ circulation.

answer

Langmuir

question

The largest tidal range in the world occurs at _________.

answer

The Bay of Fundy

question

The net flow of water to the right of the wind in the Northern Hemisphere is termed _________.

answer

Ekman transport

question

The pressure exerted by a column of air that extends from the top of the atmosphere to the surface of the earth is termed _________ pressure.

answer

Atmospheric

question

The crest of the tide is called _________.

answer

High tide

question

The "tidal range" is the _________.

answer

The vertical distance between high tide and low tide

question

Geostrophic flow is a dynamic balance between _________ and _________.

answer

Coriolis deflection; pressure gradient

question

A steep pressure gradient results in _________ winds.

answer

Strong

question

The surface of the Earth at the equator is characterized by _________ atmospheric pressure.

answer

Low

question

Most surface currents are driven by the _________.

answer

Wind

question

The speed of a wave is termed its _________.

answer

Celerity

question

Winds are named for the direction _________.

answer

From which they are coming

question

When the crest of one wave coincides with the trough of another wave, _________ wave interference occurs.

answer

Destructive

question

The mound of water around which the geostrophic currents flow is steeper on its _________ edge.

answer

Western

question

Low oxygen levels in the bottom water of Chesapeake Bay are the result of _________.

answer

Bacterial breakdown of plant material

question

The vertical distance between crest and trough is the wave _________.

answer

Height

question

The increase in the occurrence of coral reef bleaching has been attributed to be mostly linked with decreases in water temperature.

answer

False

question

Thermocline circulation patterns are caused by variations in _________.

answer

All of the above (evaporation, precipitation, land runoff, heat exchange with the atmosphere)

question

The waves which slosh back and forth in harbors and have very long periods are called _________.

answer

Seiches

question

Subsurface currents are driven mainly by _________.

answer

Density differences

question

The large loops of surface currents in the ocean are termed circulation _________.

answer

Gyres

question

The distance over which the wind blows to create waves is termed _________.

answer

Fetch

question

Wind-generated waves are termed _________.

answer

Progressive waves

question

Neap tides _________.

answer

Have the smallest tidal range

question

Waves approach shore at an angle and then swing around and come in nearly parallel to shore in the process of _________.

answer

Refraction

question

The most important factor influencing the Earth's tides is _________.

answer

The moon

question

The tidal bulge on the side of the Earth opposite the moon is due to _________.

answer

Centrifugal force

question

When the Earth, Moon, and Sun are oriented at a 90 degree angle to each other, which type of tides occur?

answer

Neap

question

When air is heated, its density _________.

answer

Decreases

question

The Pacific Garbage Patch is mostly the result of high commercial traffic in the Pacific, which does not occur as much in other oceans - where there are no such patches.

answer

False

question

Which of the following was identified as the primary driver of shark mortality and unsustainable fishing rates for shark species in the Marine Policy article on sharks?

answer

The global demand for shark fins

question

The time that it takes two successive crests to pass a fixed point is the wave _________.

answer

Period

question

A partially enclosed body of water where there is a free mixing of fresh and salt-water is called a/ and _________.

answer

Estuary

question

The dynamics of an estuary are most strongly influenced by _________.

answer

Both A and D (Tidal action and River Input)

question

Fluids (including air) move from _________ pressure to _________ pressure.

answer

High, low

question

A substantial rise in sea level along a coast during a severe storm is called a storm _________.

answer

Surge

question

Standing waves oscillate about a fixed point called a _________.

answer

Node

question

An amphidromic system describes the _________ tidal motion relative to a fixed node.

answer

Rotary

question

Dense tree growth of tropical and subtropical shorelines is a/ an _________.

answer

Mangrove swamp

question

The bulk of a coral reef is composed of _________.

answer

Calcium carbonate

question

The coral animal is called a/ an _________.

answer

Polyp

question

Which of the following refers to the totality of an environment , including all of its chemical, physical, and geological parts and all the plants and animals?

answer

Ecosystem

question

If water contains no dissolved oxygen, the condition is referred to as _________.

answer

Anoxia

question

Salt marshes are separated into two zones by a line marking _________.

answer

Neap high tide

question

The algae living in the tissues of coral animals are called _________.

answer

Zooxanthellae

question

Which of the following extends downward from the buttress zone?

answer

Reef face

question

The zooplankton of shelf waters are dominated by __________.

answer

Copepods

question

The population of animals in the open ocean and on its bottom is sparse due to _________.

answer

Lack of food

question

Buried, root-like stems that send out roots and grasses shoots are called _________.

answer

Rhizomes

question

Sharks have a true operculum enabling them to pump water actively through their gills.

answer

False

question

The process of photosynthesis converts CO2 into _________.

answer

Sugars

question

Primary producers are called _________.

answer

Autotrophs

question

The study of nutritional interconnections among the parts of an ecosystem is called _________ dynamics.

answer

Trophic

question

The chemical pigment which allows plants to photosynthesize is _________.

answer

Chlorophyll

question

Plant-eaters are called _________.

answer

Herbivores

question

Bacteria and fungi would generally be listed as _________.

answer

Decomposers

question

A linear succession of members of an ecosystem based on nutritional relationships is called a _________.

answer

Food chain

question

Circular reefs surrounding a central lagoon are called _________.

answer

Atolls

question

The reverse of photosynthesis is called _________.

answer

Respiration

question

Which of the following is a filter feeder?

answer

Mussel

question

The size of the population of any organism is usually a direction function of its _________ supply.

answer

Food

question

Organisms which require oxygen are referred to as _________.

answer

Aerobic

question

Chemosynthetic bacteria use the chemical energy released by oxidation of inorganic compounds to produce _________.

answer

Food

question

The most productive areas of the ocean are characterized by _________.

answer

Upwelling

question

Tropical oceans are infertile because the _________ of the region inhibits mixing of the water column.

answer

Permanent thermocline

question

The illuminated area of the ocean is termed the _________.

answer

Photic zone

question

The spring diatom bloom of temperate ocean waters occurs in response to increasing levels of _________.

answer

Light

question

Most of the animals that live around the volcanic vents of the ocean floor are _________.

answer

Filter feeders

question

In an El Nino year, near surface waters off Peru become _________.

answer

Warm and nutrient poor

question

In this class, SST stands for _________.

answer

Sea-surface temperatures

question

A food web consists of a system of interconnected _________.

answer

Food chains

question

Which of the following has a cartilaginous skeleton?

answer

Shark

question

The base of the food webs in the deep-sea vent communities is/ are _________.

answer

Chemosynthetic bacteria

question

Most reef fish are "weak" swimmers.

answer

True

question

In the rocky intertidal zone on the west coast of the U.S. the competitive dominant is the _________.

answer

Mussel

question

The Coastal Zone Color Scanner is used to assess variations in _________.

answer

Phytoplankton biomass

question

The keystone species on the west coast rocky intertidal zone is _________.

answer

Sea star

question

Hermatypic corals are reef-forming coral.

answer

True

question

Corals release their gametes in the evening to reduce _________.

answer

Predation

question

The primary control(s) of species distribution in the lower rocky intertidal zone is/ are _________.

answer

A;C (Competition and Predation)

question

The fusiform designed of most open-water fishes is designed to _________.

answer

All of the above (reduce drag, enhance speed, reduce friction)

question

In the movie on deep sea vents shown in class the main objective of the researchers was to _________.

answer

Retrieve an intact smoker chimney

question

The most colorful animals on a reef are typically the most dangerous.

answer

True

question

The modified mouths on small reef fish are largely designed to _________.

answer

Feed on corals

question

The larger the coral polyp the more adapted it is to be independent of zooxanthellae _________.

answer

True

question

Organisms that spend only a part of their life in the plankton are called _________.

answer

Meroplankton

question

Mixing of sediments by benthic organisms tends to decrease the depth of the oxic zone in sediments

answer

False

question

The units (g C)/m2/ year are reflective of a measure of _________.

answer

Productivity

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