Deck 13: Oceans and Coastlines

Question 1

What happens to the density of seawater as temperature increases?

A) It increases
B) It decreases
C) It says the same

Answer 1

It decreases

Question 2

What characterizes the temperature and salinity of water carried by the Gulf Stream relative to the water surrounding this current?

A) Warm, low salinity
B) Cold, low salinity
C) Warm, high salinity
D) Cold, high salinity

Answer 2

Warm, high salinity

Question 3

A dam is built upstream from where you live. How might this affect sediment budgets downstream?

A) It does not change them.
B) It reduces them.
C) It increases them.

Answer 3

It reduces them.

Question 4

What would happen to tidal ranges if the moon were larger?

A) Tidal ranges would be larger.
B) Tidal ranges would be smaller.
C) There would no change in tidal ranges.

Question 5

Answer this question that relate to the sea level change graph below.


-Based on the graph, what happened to the coastline of Maine ~11,000 years ago?

A) The coast moved farther out to sea relative to where it is today.
B) The coast moved farther inland relative to where it is today.
C) The coast did not move from where it is today.

Question 6

Answer this question that relate to the sea level change graph below.


-What happened to cause the graph to rise from its position 11,000 years ago to where it is at present?

A) Excessive rains caused sea level to rise.
B) More evaporation began occurring that increased runoff.
C) Glaciers melted releasing large volumes of water.

Question 7

Answer this question that relate to the sea level change graph below.


-Look at the far left of the graph (about 13,000 years ago). How did salinity in the oceans 13,000 years ago compare to salinity in the oceans today?

A) Saltier
B) Less salty
C) Same salinity as today

Question 8

Answer this question that relate to the sea level change graph below.


-Compared to today, was it warmer or colder in the northeastern United States (on average) 11,000 years ago?

A) Warmer
B) Colder
C) About the same as today

Question 9

Answer this question that relate to the sea level change graph below.


-Based on the graph, what would you predict to find today on the continental shelf off the coast of Maine?

A) Canyons about 11,000 years old and modern deltas
B) Deltas about 11,000 years old and modern canyons
C) Canyons and deltas about 11,000 years old
D) Modern canyons and deltas

Question 10

Use the schematic shown below to answer this question.


-What causes the circular patterns?

A) Winds
B) Ocean thermal effects
C) Ocean salinity effects
D) Ocean thermal and salinity effects

Question 11

Use the schematic shown below to answer this question.


-Predict what would happen to the circular patterns if the Earth were spinning in the opposite direction it spins now.

A) Patterns would be reversed.
B) Patterns would be the same.
C) Patterns would cease to exist.

Question 12

Use the schematic shown below to answer this question.


-Why are ocean surface temperatures higher near the equator?

A) There is less solar insulation near the equator.
B) There is more solar insulation near the equator.
C) There are more thermal vents near the equator.
D) There are fewer thermal vents near the equator.

Question 13

Use the schematic shown below to answer this question.


-What is most likely to happen to the global ocean conveyer belt if additional freshwater is added to the North Atlantic Ocean?

A) Slow down
B) Speed up
C) Undergo no change

Question 14

Use the schematic shown below to answer this question.


-Suppose the global ocean conveyer belt stopped functioning. Which climate change scenario for eastern Europe and northern North America is most likely?

A) Become warmer
B) Become colder
C) No change

Question 15

Three hotels are located near each other along a popular beach. Hotel 2 decides to build a groin (out into the long shore current). Which of the other hotels will sue to stop the construction?

A) Hotel 1 because they will experience beach nourishment.
B) Hotel 1 because they will experience beach erosion.
C) Hotel 3 because they will experience beach nourishment.
D) Hotel 3 because they will experience beach erosion.

Question 16

At which location would the waves break closer to the beach?

A) Diagram A
B) Diagram B
C) Diagram C

Question 17

How did the oceans form?

A) Water came mostly from comets.
B) Water came mostly from out-gassing.
C) Water came equally from comets and out-gassing.

Question 18

Why is there salt in the oceans?

A) Runoff from the continents
B) Precipitation
C) Melting of ice at the Poles
D) Comets
E) It was there when ocean formed

Question 19

Which feature is affected most by sea level change?

A) Continental shelf
B) Continental rise
C) Abyssal plain
D) Oceanic ridges
E) Oceanic trenches

Question 20

Which feature is responsible for 90% of the Earth's volcanic activity?

A) Continental shelf
B) Continental rise
C) Abyssal plain
D) Oceanic ridges
E) Oceanic trenches

Question 21

How much salt, by weight, is in the oceans?

A) 0.035%
B) 0.35%
C) 3.5%
D) 35%

Question 22

Which set of features would you find across the Atlantic from North America to Europe?

A) Continental shelf, abyssal plain, oceanic ridge and oceanic trench.
B) Continental shelf, abyssal plain, and oceanic trench.
C) Continental shelf, oceanic ridge and oceanic trench.
D) Continental shelf, abyssal plain, oceanic ridge.

Question 23

Where would you find the largest difference in shallow and deep ocean temperatures?

A) High latitudes (near poles)
B) Middle latitudes (near tropics)
C) Low latitudes (near equator)

Question 24

What hydrologic cycle factor is most responsible for salinity values found near the tropics?

A) Evaporation
B) Precipitation
C) Runoff
D) Transpiration
E) Infiltration

Question 25

Which is denser?

A) Warm, saline water
B) Cold, saline water
C) Warm, non-saline water
D) Cold, non-saline water

Question 26

Why do gyres rotate differently in the northern hemisphere than they do in the southern hemisphere?

A) Because Earth rotates from east to west
B) Because Earth rotates from west to east
C) Because Earth rotates

Question 27

What happens to the density of seawater with increasing depth in the oceans (the pycnocline)?

A) Rapid increase shallow, then fairly constant with depth
B) Rapid increase shallow, then slow decrease with depth
C) Rapid decrease shallow, then slow increase within depth
D) Rapid decrease shallow, then fairly constant with depth

Question 28

Why did ocean circulation patterns change in the Atlantic 3 million years ago?

A) Closing of the St. Lawrence Seaway
B) Opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway
C) Closing of the Isthmus of Panama
D) Opening of the Isthmus of Panama

Question 29

What does the Gulf Stream do?

A) Distributes heat to the North Atlantic
B) Distributes heat to the Gulf of Mexico
C) Distributes heat to the South Atlantic

Question 30

Which moon phase will result in a neap tide?

A) During a new moon
B) During a full moon
C) During a quarter moon
D) During a crescent moon

Question 31

-Which tide pattern is displayed in the data from New Haven, CT shown above?

A) Mixed
B) Diurnal
C) Semidiurnal

Question 32

-What happens to the wavelength and amplitude of an ocean wave as it approaches the coast?

A) Wavelength and amplitude decrease
B) Wavelength decreases, amplitude increases
C) Wavelength increases, amplitude decreases
D) Wavelength and amplitude increase

Question 33

-Suppose you have learned to scuba dive and are on a diving trip in the Bahamas Islands. You are diving in an area where the waves are about 2 meters high and 10 meters apart. How deep must you dive to avoid being tossed around by the wave motion?

A) 1 meter
B) 2 meters
C) 5 meters
D) 10 meters

Question 34

-Which conditions result in the highest wave height?

A) Short fetch, high wind speed
B) Short fetch, low wind speed
C) Long fetch, high wind speed
D) Long fetch, low wind speed

Question 35

-What direction should one swim to get out of a long shore current?

A) Parallel to shore
B) Toward shore
C) Away from shore

Question 36

-Which structures are built offshore in an attempt to prevent beach erosion?

A) Breakwater
B) Groin
C) Sea wall

Question 37

-What is most likely to happen at an artificially nourished beach?

A) Less erosion due to larger beach
B) Less erosion due to smaller beach
C) More erosion due to larger beach
D) More erosion due to smaller beach

Question 38

Ocean basins occupy about 10 times more volume than that of continents above sea level.

Question 39

The surface of the ocean is at the same elevation everywhere.

Question 40

Most bathymetry measurements were made by sensors carried on ships.

Question 41

Salinity in the oceans does not vary.

Question 42

Salinity values in the open oceans are highest near the tropics.

Question 43

Gyres in the southern hemisphere rotate counterclockwise.

Question 44

North Atlantic Deep Water moves from the South Pole toward the North Pole.

Question 45

Dense deep waters upwell in the Pacific Ocean.

Question 46

Spring tides only occur in spring.

Question 47

Tides can occur once or twice a day.

Question 48

Waves and currents are essentially the same thing.

Question 49

A long fetch increases frictional effects of wind.

Question 50

Coastal erosion and deposition occur constantly.

Question 51

Seawalls act to stop erosion in one location at the expense of another location.