OCE 4008 Exam 2

what is the true of the intertropical convergence zone

it is subject to seasonal variations

how many atmospheric cells are present in each hemisphere

3

what occurs at the boundaries of circulation cells

winds move vertically where the boundaries meet

why is air never completely dry

all of these choices

why does the heat budget vary with latitude

the angle of the sun at varying latitudes

which is not an example of a tropical cyclone

nor’easter

if a ship is trying to sail from the eastern United States to Europe, which route would be the most efficient to take

a northern route to take advantage of the westerlies

why are east-west variation patterns more pronounced in the middle latitudes of the northern hemisphere

there is an almost equal ratio of land and water in the northern hemisphere

what causes most of the differences in winds in comparison to normal surface wind direction

all of these choices

where do tropical cyclones come from

within a ingle warm and humid air mass

what is not a factor in the amount of light penetrating the ocean

the amount of light absorbed by clouds

horse latitudes at sea corresponding to ___ on land

great deserts

why are there multiple atmospheric cells as air moves from the equator to the poles instead of one single cell

there are intermediate precipitation events which break up the air into circulation cells

what is the term for a pattern of wind circulation that changes with season

monsoon

what is the residence time of water vapor int he lower atmosphere

10 days

what is the name given by sailors to the area where Hadley cells converge

doldrums

what is the tendency of pausing air masses over land

they take on the characteristics of the land below them

what is a cause of atmospheric circulation

the Coriolis effect

the lower atmosphere is a homogenous mixture of gasses with nitrogen and oxygen being the most abundant

true

what trusts water masses that are engaged in the thermohaline flow of the world’s ocean

gravity

which water mass is not produced by caballing

mediterranean deep water

what is the name for slow, deep currents beneath the pycnocline

thermohaline currents

what is considered to be the largest western boundary current

Gulf Stream

what does not affect surface currents

density

what is not a characteristic of western boundary currents

they are broad currents

what is a characteristic of antarctic bottom water

extreme density

what influences contour currents

topography

what is responsible for the large-scale global ocean circulation

thermohaline circulation

what is a gyre

a circular flow of water around the periphery of an ocean basin

what water mass is the most saline

mediterranean deep water

what direction would a gyre in the southern hemisphere flow towards

left

where is density stratification the least pronounced

polar latitudes

what prevents North Atlantic deep water from moving on a large scale like the antarctic bottom water

the topography of the basin

where does the largest amount of upwelling occur

equatorial upwelling

why is the west wind drift not considered a gyre

it does not flow around the margins of an ocean basin

the global conveyer belt transports juvenile organisms, mixes nutrients, and distributes gases and solids

true

researchers believe the catalyst for the 1982-83 El Niño event was actually the volcanic eruption of El Chichon

true

the horizontal movement of water by wind can lead to vertical movement in surface water

true

what is the Forchhammer’s principle

the constant proportion of solids in seawater

what is a solute

a substance that dissolves into another substance

what is not a factor on the salinity of a particular region of ocean

saturation levels

what type of water mass dissolves the most amounts of gases

polar water masses

what enhances the ocean’s buffering capacity

the amount of dissolved inorganic carbon present

what is the greatest source of oxygen in deep water

polar waters that have sunk from the surface

the ocean is becoming more acidic as it absorbs additional; ___ from the atmosphere

carbon dioxide

what is the source of high carbon dioxide levels at middle depths in the ocean

the decay of the remains of organisms

which essential gas is often in an unusable form in the ocean and atmosphere

nitrogen

the level of ___ increases with depth which is a factor in the calcium carbonate compensation depth

carbon dioxide

what happens to pH levels in regions where there is more carbon dioxide present

the pH levels decrease in these regions

why is the amount of carbon dioxide dissolved in seawater much less than the theoretical maximum saturation level

carbon dioxide is quickly used by photosynthetic organisms

what does carbon dioxide break down into once it is in the ocean

all of these choices

how do salinometers measure salinity

it measures the electrical conductivity of seawater samples

why are some tropical waters unable to sustain life

there is a low level of dissolved oxygen due to temperature

what is the average pH of the ocean

8.0

carbon dioxide is abundant near the surface due to the photosynthesis activities of plants

false

rapid amounts of photosynthesis can create variations in the alkalinity of seawater

true

a higher level of pH is associated with more hydrogen ions

false

What is a storm surge

movement of water due to low atmospheric pressure creates a dome of water

what is the ekman spiral

the decreasingly slower movement of water as it gets further away from the wind source

what causes a decrease in oxygen levels beyond the sunlit layer

the respiration from marine animals and bacteria

what is the main reason for the stratification in the north polar waters

salinity

what is true of heat capacity

it is the measure of heat required to raise the temperature of one gram by 1 celsius

why is iron not abundant in the ocean

it is nearly insoluble in oxygenated water

as pure water approaches its freezing point, the density decreases. why does this happen

the hydrogen bonds become rigid, allowing it to expand slightly

why is sensible heat detectable while heat that is not sensible cannot be measured

a thermometer measures the decrease in temperature, but as liquid changes to solid, the loss of heat is not measurable

what is the structure of carbon dioxide an example of

a compound

which water mass is characterized by increasing density with deeper depths

pycnocline zone

__connects atoms by sharing the energy of paired electrons

covalent bonds

why does the ocean not boil or freeze solid in different regions of the world

heat is transported by oceanic and atmospheric circulation

which does not have an effect on waters density

viscosity

the pycnocline isolates the majority of the world ocean from

all of these choices conditions

why does the latent heat of vaporization require so much heat energy

the energy is used to break the hydrogen bonds

which is not a characteristic of thermoclines

thermoclines are more abrupt in the high latitudes

what layer is permanently devoid of light

aphonic zone

what is rarely a limiting factor for marine organisms

hydrostatic pressure

what is the largest biogeochemical cycle

global carbon cycle

what organism usually fixes nitrogen into usable chemical forms

cyanobacteria

what biological chemical is important in heredity of traits

nucleic acids

what element is used to link nucleic acids in all organisms

phosphorus

T or F phytoplankton is responsible for the synthesis of 90% to 96% of the surface oceans carbohydrates

true