chapter 24

Lands that border the ocean tend to have

moderate temperatures

Going from land to the deep ocean basin, the ocean's topography consists of the _______.

continental margin - shelf, slope, and rise, the abyssal plains, and the mid-ocean ridge

Salinity varies in different parts of the ocean. In general, salinity increases where _______.

sea ice forms

When a wave approaches the shoreline, wave speed _______.

slows as water depth decreases

In the troposphere and mesosphere, air density and air temperature decrease with altitude. But in the stratosphere and thermosphere, air temperature increases with altitude due to _______.

a greater absorption of solar radiation

Earth's varying surface temperatures and corresponding seasons are a result of _______.

Earth's tilt and the angle at which the Sun's rays strike Earth's surface

The increased concentration of greenhouse gases - water vapor, CO2, CH4, O3, N2O, and CFCs - in Earth's atmosphere acts to increase the _______.

absorption of outgoing terrestrial radiation, which increases the warming of Earth's lower atmosphere

The underlying driving force of wind - air with horizontal movement - is from the _______.

unequal heating of Earth's surface

The global circulation of the atmosphere results from which two factors?

Unequal heating of Earth's surface and Earth's rotation

Compared with San Francisco, California, winter air temperatures and air density in Denver, Colorado, are

cooler and thinner.

Earth's earliest atmosphere was lacking in

free oxygen

Earth's first atmosphere was composed of

hydrogen and helium, with trace amounts of ammonia and methane

The Earth's largest ocean is the

Pacific

Fresh water enters the ocean by runoff from streams and rivers,

precipitation, and melting of glacial ice.

The two most abundant elements that make up the salinity of seawater are

chlorine and sodium.

When evaporation at the ocean surface exceeds precipitation, the salinity of seawater

increases

Features of the deep ocean basins include abyssal plains, ocean trenches, mid-ocean ridges, and seamounts—all of which are composed of

basalt.

The extent of the continental shelf, an underwater extension of the continental crust, varies due to fluctuations in sea level. When sea level is higher, the continental shelf

wider because some of the continental land would be submerged.

Waves are altered when they enter shallow water. They change

direction by refraction, they steepen and break.

Water movement in a wave in the surf zone is characterized by

steepened wave height and shorter wavelength.

At what water depth is an ocean wave affected by the ocean floor?

At the depth equal to one-half the wave's wavelength.

The most common depositional shoreline feature is a

beach

Common erosional shoreline features include sea stacks,

wave-cut platforms, sea caves, and sea arches.

The main reason ocean tides exist is that the pull of the Moon

is greater on oceans closer to the Moon and less on oceans farther from the Moon

Suppose the Moon had twice as much mass as it does now and still orbits Earth at the same distance. In that case, the ocean bulges on Earth would be

larger

As the Moon and Earth pull on one another, the oceans bulge about 1m on opposite sides of the Earth. In Earth's daily rotation, the area that passes the bulge experiences high tide. The time of the high tides fluctuates because

while Earth spins on its axis, the Moon orbits the Earth—the timing is a bit off.

As you ascend in elevation, the air generally becomes

cool and less dense

The ionosphere

is produced by the action of solar radiation and atmospheric atoms.

Temperature increases with altitude in the

thermosphere

The temperature of the mesosphere decreases from 0°C at the bottom to -90°C at the top. This change in temperature is a result of

low absorption of solar radiation—air molecules emit more energy than they absorb

The tilt of Earth's axis greatly affects the

distribution of heat energy, hours of daylight, and the change in seasons

Earth's lower atmosphere is warm because of

terrestrial radiation.

At the end of December, all of the Southern Hemisphere is in

summer

If the composition of the atmosphere changed so that less terrestrial radiation was allowed to escape, the Earth would experience

higher average temperatures.

The Earth's lower atmosphere is kept warm by

\n terrestrial radiation.

If Earth is closest to the Sun in January, why is much of the Northern Hemisphere cold in January?

The Northern Hemisphere is tilted away from the Sun in January.

The increase of atmospheric CO2 levels to 400 ppm has tipped Earth's natural greenhouse effect toward global warming. The rise of CO2 is due to

human activity—the burning of fossil fuels (coal, oil, and gas) and deforestation.

Efforts to curb climate change need to be done on a global scale. There is no "one-size fits all", but efforts must include

education, mitigation—preventative measures of reducing CO2 and the shift to cleaner energy sources, and adaptation—reducing society's vulnerability to climate change.

The wind blows in response to

pressure and temperature differences.

Air moves toward a low-pressure region where it

rises

In the Southern Hemisphere, the Coriolis force causes all free-moving objects in the air to curve

to the left of their intended path.

Which of the following is not a major influence on atmospheric circulation?

the local variations in gravitational acceleration

The flow of air in the upper atmosphere is predominantly from

west to east

Cold days are associated with

high surface pressure

What is responsible for causing weather on Earth?

the unequal heating of Earth's surface

What causes the jet streams to form?

pressure and temperature gradients

Although desert environments can occur for many reasons, a factor that has little to do with their occurrence is

the proximity of deserts to cold ocean currents

A high-pressure zone girdles Earth at the 30°N and 30°S latitudes, causing

A belt of hot and dry surface air,

hot weak winds in the horse latitudes,

and great deserts, such as the Sahara and Arabia Desert in Africa, the Mojave Desert in the United States, and the great Victoria Desert in Australia.

Air that flows southward from the horse latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere produces the

trade winds

Air that flows northward from the horse latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere produces the

westerlies

As a scuba diver descends into the open ocean, pressure

increases and temperatures decrease.

Circulation of the ocean's surface water results from

frictional force from winds, along with the pressure gradient and Coriolis forces.

Water that is denser than surrounding water sinks. With respect to the densities of deeper water, how far does it sink?

until it encounters water of the same density

Water evaporated from over the oceans produces precipitation of fresh water because

only water vapor molecules, and not salt molecules, evaporate.

Most surface ocean currents are due to

winds.

Deep ocean currents flow in a circulation pattern that is

north to south.

Large icebergs in the Arctic and Antarctic form as

glaciers calve into the sea.

The Ekman transport spiral is driven

by the wind.

The process where surface waters are pushed away from the land and replaced by nutrient-rich bottom waters is called

upwelling

Which of the following occurs during an *El Niño* year?

Storms increase on the western side of the Pacific.