Ocean 115 - Introduction to Oceanography » Spring 2021 » Final Exam

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Question #1
A tropical maritime air mass is likely to be ________.
A.   wet and warm
B.   dry and cold
C.   dry and warm
D.   wet and cold
E.   not enough information to tell
Question #2
The strength of a hurricane stems from water's ________.
A.   latent heat of condensation
B.   latent heat of deposition
C.   latent heat of fusion
D.   latent heat of sublimation
E.   latent heat of melting
Question #3
Which of the following powers tropical cyclones?
A.   An apparent force resulting from Earth's rotation that causes particles in motion to be deflected.
B.   West Wind Drift
C.   Heat transfer in a gas or liquid by the circulation of currents from one region to another.
D.   The vast amounts of latent heat as water evaporates and condenses.
E.   A density-driven circulation that is initiated at the ocean surface by temperature and salinity.
Question #4
Which of the following currents contributes to the South Eastern United States being humid?
A.   North Equatorial Current
B.   Gulf Stream
C.   Brazil Current
D.   North Atlantic Current
E.   California Current
Question #5
Which of the following statements about coastal waters is CORRECT?
A.   Coastal waters serve as nursery grounds for many species that inhabit the open ocean.
B.   Coastal waters have limited opportunities for oil production and recreational activities.
C.   Coastal waters receive land-derived pollutants after they pass through the open ocean.
D.   Coastal waters only support about 15% of the total mass of life in the oceans.
E.   Coastal waters are of minor importance for shipping because they traverse the open ocean.
Question #6
Match feature with the appropriate plate boundary. Island arc
A.   Transform plate boundary
B.   Convergent plate boundary
C.   Divergent plate boundary
Question #7
Match feature with the appropriate plate boundary. Fracture zones
A.   Convergent plate boundary
B.   Transform plate boundary
C.   Divergent plate boundary
Question #8
Match feature with the appropriate plate boundary. Magnetic “stripes” on the seafloor
A.   Convergent plate boundary
B.   Divergent plate boundary
C.   Transform plate boundary
Question #9
Match feature with the appropriate plate boundary. Seafloor spreading
A.   Transform plate boundary
B.   Divergent plate boundary
C.   Convergent plate boundary
Question #10
Match feature with the appropriate plate boundary. Trenches
A.   Convergent plate boundary
B.   Transform plate boundary
C.   Divergent plate boundary
Question #11
Which extreme environment may have favored the origin of life on Earth?
A.   estuarine bays
B.   hydrothermal vents
C.   polar sea ice
D.   rainforest sediments
E.   dry mountain rocky outcrops
Question #12
As mountains erode, how will isostatic forces cause Earth's crust beneath the mountain to behave?
A.   Spread out
B.   Sink
C.   Subduct
D.   Rise
E.   Stay the same
Question #13
What process gives trenches their unique arc-shaped depressions?
A.   Subduction
B.   Turbidity
C.   Erosion
D.   Volcanic eruptions
E.   Spreading
Question #14
An abundance of foraminifera shells would be described as what type of sediment?
A.   calcareous ooze
B.   siliceous ooze
C.   evaporitic sediment
D.   diatomaceous earth
E.   turbidic sediment
Question #15
Why can seawater hold many times more carbon dioxide than either nitrogen or oxygen at saturation?
A.   Carbon dioxide is used by plankton for energy
B.   Carbon dioxide is more reactive.
C.   Carbon dioxide is used in mineral formation.​
D.   Carbon dioxide is not used in photosynthesis.
E.   Carbon dioxide combines chemically with water to form carbonic acid.
Question #16
An air mass pausing above a warm ocean surface will have what characteristics?
A.   Cold, dry air with zones of high pressure
B.   Warm, dry air with zones of high pressure
C.   Warm, humid air with zones of low pressure
D.   Cold, dry air with zones of low pressure
E.   Warm, humid air with zones of high pressure
Question #17
How fast does a wave with wavelength of 20 meters and period of 20 seconds travel?
A.   10 meters per second
B.   There is not enough information to tell
C.   1 meter per second
D.   400 meters per second
E.   20 meters per second
Question #18
What type of tidal patterns exists on the west coast of the United States, which receives two high tides and two low tides of varying heights per day?
A.   neap tides
B.   semidiurnal tides
C.   spring tides
D.   semidiurnal mixed tides
E.   diurnal tides
Question #19
Which of the following is a ring-shaped island of coral?
A.     
B.   Fringing reef
C.   ​Atoll
D.   Mangrove
E.   Barrier reef
F.   Drumlin
Question #20
Which area is most likely to have the most populous and diverse community of organisms?
A.   cobble beaches
B.   surface of temperate ocean
C.   surface of a polar ocean
D.   deep ocean
E.   intertidal zone
Question #21
What is an example of symbiosis?
A.   progression
B.   carrying capacity
C.   succession
D.   environmental resistance
E.   commensalism
Question #22
What is a major product of combustion for all hydrocarbons?
A.   hydrogen
B.   carbon dioxide
C.   oxygen
D.   nitrogen
E.   nitrous oxide
Question #23
Petroleum most likely formed from which organic substrate?
A.   Fossilized fish
B.   Planktonic organisms and bacteria
C.   Whale falls
D.   Sea grasses
E.   Water column debris
Question #24
During an ice age, sea level would have been relatively lower than it is today.
A.   FALSE
B.   TRUE
Question #25
Lines of latitude are parallel to one another.
A.   FALSE
B.   TRUE
Question #26
The average salinity of the world’s ocean in about 3.5%
A.   FALSE
B.   TRUE
Question #27
Land has a greater heat capacity than water.
A.   TRUE
B.   FALSE
Question #28
In one hour, the Earth rotates through 15 degrees.
A.   FALSE
B.   TRUE
Question #29
An eastern boundary current is slower and colder than a western boundary current.
A.   FALSE
B.   TRUE
Question #30
The construction of jetties, groins or breakwaters interrupts the longshore current.
A.   FALSE
B.   TRUE
Question #31
The seafloor is oldest at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
A.   TRUE
B.   FALSE
Question #32
El Nino events occur roughly every 4 to 7 years due to a reversal of Pacific trade winds.
A.   TRUE
B.   FALSE
Question #33
Only 10% of the energy is passed along from one trophic level to the next.
A.   FALSE
B.   TRUE
Question #34
Which condition is necessary for a planet to have a permanent liquid ocean?
A.   Toxic atmosphere
B.   Perfectly spherical orbit
C.   Low gravity
D.   Optimum distance from a star
E.   Few moons
Question #35
As sediment accumulates in a continental margin, how will isostatic forces cause Earth's crust behave?
A.   It will subside
B.   It will grow thicker
C.   It will spread out
D.   It will be uplifted
E.   It will stay the same
Question #36
Where on the seafloor would you expect to find the thickest piles of sediment?
A.   In a submarine canyon
B.   Along the continental margin
C.   At a mid-ocean ridge
D.   Around hot spot volcanoes
E.   In a deep ocean trench
Question #37
Active margins are also referred to as
A.   Fracture zones
B.   Spreading centers
C.   Atlantic-type margins
D.   Pacific-type margins
E.   Hot spots
Question #38
What describes the theoretical direction of Ekman transport in the Southern Hemisphere?
A.   90° to the right of wind direction
B.   90° to the left of wind direction
C.   45° to the left of wind direction
D.   45° to the right of wind direction
E.   In the same direction as the wind

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