Deck 7: Ocean Circulation

Question 1

The circular pattern of surface water currents is called a gyre.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Deep ocean water masses have characteristic temperatures and salinities.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

An eastern boundary current is narrow and swift.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

In the northern hemisphere, Ekman transport pushes surface water to the right of the wind direction.

Question 5

Thermohaline circulation is wind-driven.

Question 6

Deep ocean water does not travel across the equator.

Question 7

The source of some deep ocean water masses can be identified by the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water mass.

Question 8

Surface ocean currents are vertical currents in the water column and density-driven,

Question 9

The West Wind Drift occurs at 60ºN around the Arctic Circle.

Question 10

A Doppler flow meter is a scientific instrument used to measure current flow rates.

Question 11

All deep water in ocean basins originates in the Atlantic Ocean.

Question 12

The Gulf Stream moves water away from the equator; the Benguela Current moves some of this same water back toward the equator.

Question 13

Dynamic topography can be used to compute current direction and velocity.

Question 14

Downwelling may be the result of winds blowing parallel to a coastline.

Question 15

Deep ocean currents often move cold, dense water away from the poles.

Question 16

The largest current by volume in the oceans is the Antarctic Circumpolar Current.

Question 17

The most dense ocean water is North Atlantic Deep Water.

Question 18

The Mediterranean Sea has little influence on the water of the Atlantic Ocean.

Question 19

Monsoons are seasonal low pressure systems that develop at the lower latitudes over continents that cause a change in seasonal winds and precipitation patterns.

Question 20

Strong upwelling occurs in all of the following except:

A) between the North and South Equatorial Currents.
B) in areas of surface current divergence
C) in the area surrounding the Galapagos Islands.
D) where deep ocean water currents are formed.
E) where water is constantly pushed away from a coastline.

Question 21

Surface ocean circulation is driven primarily by ________ and modified by ________.

A) density differences; the Coriolis effect and land
B) density differences; differences in salinity and temperature
C) latitude; differences in salinity and land
D) wind; the Coriolis effect and land
E) wind; gravity and density

Question 22

Equatorial currents are driven by the:

A) Coriolis force.
B) density.
C) Ekman transport.
D) trade winds.
E) westerlies.

Question 23

Identify the mismatched pair.

A) Agulhas Current, West Australia Current
B) Brazil Current , Benguela Current
C) Canary Current, Gulf Stream
D) Kuroshio Current, California Current
E) Labrador Current, Humboldt Current

Question 24

Which of the following is a western boundary current?

A) Benguela Current
B) Brazil Current
C) Canary Current
D) California Current
E) Peru Current

Question 25

When a meander from the Gulf Stream pinches off and isolates a body of water within the center of the North Atlantic gyre, the body of water is called a:

A) cold core ring.
B) cyclonic circulation.
C) geostrophic circulation.
D) Langmuir cell.
E) warm core ring.

Question 26

The unit of measurement used to describe the rate at which a volume of ocean water moves in a current is a(n):

A) calorie.
B) ft/s².
C) km/h.
D) ml/g.
E) sverdrup.

Question 27

A large amount of warm surface water from the Sargasso Sea combines with water in the Florida Current to become the Gulf Stream Current.

Question 28

Convection cells driven by the relatively weak winds near the center of gyres are called:

A) Ekman transport.
B) geostrophic circulation.
C) Langmuir circulation.
D) thermohaline circulation.
E) upwelling.

Question 29

Deep ocean water generally has high amounts of:

A) dissolved organic matter.
B) nutrients only.
C) oxygen only.
D) nutrients and oxygen.
E) suspended solids.

Question 30

Compared to a western boundary current, which of the following statements is true for an eastern boundary current?

A) Eastern boundary currents are broad and deep.
B) Eastern boundary currents are broad and slow.
C) Eastern boundary currents are deep and swift.
D) Eastern boundary currents are narrow and deep.
E) Eastern boundary currents are shallow and swift.

Question 31

During winter months, monsoon winds over the Indian Ocean:

A) flow from land to sea and are dry.
B) flow from land to sea and are wet.
C) flow from sea to land and are dry.
D) flow from sea to land and are wet.
E) the direction of airflow is unchanged but precipitation increases.

Question 32

Compared to an eastern boundary current in a gyre, which of the following statements is true for a western boundary current?

A) deeper current
B) increased current velocity
C) intensification in subtropical latitudes
D) narrower current
E) All of the above statements are true of western boundary currents.

Question 33

Which of the following is not an eastern boundary current?

A) California Current
B) Canary Current
C) Gulf Stream
D) Peru Current
E) W. Australian Current

Question 34

The Sargasso Sea is located in the:

A) Arctic Ocean.
B) Indian Ocean.
C) North Atlantic Ocean.
D) North Pacific Ocean.
E) South Atlantic Ocean.

Question 35

Geostrophic circulation is within a gyre driven by:

A) density.
B) gravity.
C) temperature.
D) the Coriolis effect.
E) wind.

Question 36

Westward intensification causes:

A) a steeper slope of surface water in the western section of the gyre as compare to the eastern section of the gyre.
B) equatorial countercurrents.
C) the center of the gyre to be shift to the west.
D) very swift western boundary currents.
E) All of the above statements are the result of westward intensification.

Question 37

Surface waters are pushed away from land and replaced by nutrient-rich bottom water through:

A) convergence.
B) downwelling.
C) land breezes.
D) sea breezes.
E) upwelling.

Question 38

Which of the following is true of surface water circulation near Antarctica?

A) A gyre is formed here.
B) Two circumpolar currents dominate it, one current that moves water to the east and one current that moves water to the west.
C) It is dominated by water flow directly away from the polar region toward the north.
D) The surface ocean has no strong currents.
E) The polar easterlies drive the circulation of water around the Antarctic continent.

Question 39

Compared to Antarctic Bottom Water, North Atlantic Deep Water is:

A) colder.
B) denser.
C) higher in nutrients.
D) higher in salinity.
E) lower in oxygen.

Question 40

The arrangement of water masses in the southern Atlantic Ocean from the surface to the bottom is:

A) Antarctic Bottom Water, Antarctic Intermediate Water, North Atlantic Deep Water.
B) Antarctic Intermediate Water, Antarctic Bottom Water, North Atlantic Deep Water.
C) Antarctic Intermediate Water, North Atlantic Deep Water, Antarctic Bottom Water.
D) North Atlantic Deep Water, Antarctic Bottom Water, Antarctic Intermediate Water.
E) North Atlantic Deep Water, Antarctic Intermediate Water, Antarctic Bottom Water.

Question 41

The worldwide effect of El Niño include all of the following except:

A) coral reef deaths in the Pacific Ocean.
B) crop failure in the Philippines.
C) drought in the U.S. Gulf coastal states.
D) increased Pacific cyclone activity.
E) water shortages in Sri Lanka.

Question 42

Scientists have concluded that deep Pacific Ocean water is old is due to its low:

A) density.
B) nutrient levels.
C) oxygen levels.
D) salinity.
E) temperature.

Question 43

Deep ocean water in the Indian Ocean includes Red Sea water which has:

A) high salinity and low oxygen.
B) high salinity and low temperature.
C) low salinity and low oxygen.
D) low temperature and high oxygen.
E) low temperature and low salinity.

Question 44

The El Niño Southern Oscillation can best be described as:

A) relative changes between two different atmospheric pressure systems.
B) the relationship between sea surface temperature and high altitude pressure.
C) tidal differences between coastal Peru and Darwin, Australia.
D) variation in wind speed over the Pacific Ocean.
E) wind speed and wind direction differences along the equator.

Question 45

Which of the following statements is true of surface ocean currents?

A) Surface currents concentrate warm water in the center of the gyre at mid latitudes.
B) Surface currents form circular patterns in the major ocean basins called "gyres."
C) Surface currents occur within and below the pycnocline.
D) Surface currents transport cold water toward the poles.
E) Surface currents transport warm water toward the equator.

Question 46

Examine the five words and/or phrases and determine the relationship among the majority of words/phrases. Choose the one option that does not fit the pattern.

A)Australian drought
B)decreased fish stock in coastal Peru
C)flooding rains in southeastern U.S.
D)Peruvian upwelling stops
E)strong trade winds

Question 47

The El Niño weather pattern is associated with:

A) about a 0.5 meter difference in sea surface height between Tahiti and Darwin, Australia.
B) cold, nutrient-rich water close to the sea surface near the coast of Peru.
C) drought and fires in Australia.
D) high pressure sitting over coastal Peru.
E) trade winds blowing east to west.

Question 48

In the southern hemisphere, the direction of Ekman transport is:

A) at a 45º angle from the wind direction.
B) perpendicular to the wind direction.
C) to the east of the wind direction.
D) to the left of the wind direction.
E) to the right of the wind direction.

Question 49

Which type of flow works in opposition to Ekman transport in a gyre?

A) counter-current circulation
B) density-driven circulation
C) geostrophic circulation
D) Langmuir circulation
E) thermohaline circulation

Question 50

Thermohaline circulation is driven by:

A) density.
B) gravity.
C) latitude.
D) temperature.
E) wind.

Question 51

Examine the five words and/or phrases and determine the relationship among the majority of words/phrases. Choose the one option that does not fit the pattern.

A)Gulf Stream
B)Kuroshio Current
C)North Equatorial Current
D)Peru Current
E)Somali Current

Question 52

The Tropical Ocean-Global Atmosphere (TOGA) is a(n):

A) data set compiled by international climatologists and oceanographers detailing changes in bottom water formation.
B) international program begun in 1985 to study El Niňo events.
C) satellite system that tracks climatic factors associated with sea surface chlorophyll related to sea surface temperatures.
D) set of instruments designed to store data collected by radio collars and tags on fish, reptiles, and marine mammals.
E) system of interconnected ocean buoys that relay information about sea surface height to ships in the area.

Question 53

Examine the five words and/or phrases and determine the relationship among the majority of words/phrases. Choose the one option that does not fit the pattern.

A)Gulf of Alaska
B)Indian
C)North Atlantic
D)South Atlantic
E)South Pacific

Question 54

All are true of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current except:

A) the Antarctic Circumpolar Current contributes to the development of Antarctic bottom water in the Weddell Sea.
B) the Antarctic Circumpolar Current contributes to upwelling off the Antarctic coast producing an area of high primary productivity in Antarctic summer.
C) the Antarctic Circumpolar Current flows in a counterclockwise direction around the southern hemisphere at 60º S latitude.
D) the Antarctic Circumpolar Current flows in the opposite direction to the East Wind Drift, a current the flows close to the Antarctic continent.
E) the Antarctic Circumpolar Current is created by the prevailing winds at that latitude.

Question 55

Examine the five words and/or phrases and determine the relationship among the majority of words/phrases. Choose the one option that does not fit the pattern.

A)Agulhas Current
B)Benguela Current
C)California Current
D)Canary Current
E)West Australian Current

Question 56

Deep water circulation in the Pacific Ocean is influenced by:

A) extreme cooling and the formation of Pacific Bottom Water.
B) hydrothermal vents from the East Pacific Rise.
C) sea ice formation and resulting increased salinity of surface water in the south Pacific.
D) the size of the Pacific basin.
E) the Southern Oscillation.

Question 57

The Ekman spiral is driven by:

A) density differences in the water column.
B) gravity.
C) the Coriolis effect
D) the pycnocline.
E) wind.

Question 58

The location where water flows uninterrupted between the Pacific, the Atlantic, and the Indian Oceans is:

A) in the Arctic Ocean.
B) in the Southern Ocean.
C) near Alaska.
D) near the equator.
E) This does not occur.

Question 59

Compare and contrast western boundary currents and eastern boundary currents.

Question 60

Examine the five words and/or phrases and determine the relationship among the majority of words/phrases. Choose the one option that does not fit the pattern.

A)El Niño
B)ENSO
C)La Niña
D)NMFS
E)PDO

Question 61

Discuss the biological impact of upwelling and downwelling on marine ecosystems. Provide examples of marine systems that are impacted by these processes in your answer.

Question 62

Describe the location of the western boundary and eastern boundary current within a gyre. How is the direction of these currents related to heat distribution of the Earth's oceans?

Question 63

Discuss the relationship between Ekman transport and geostrophic flow within a gyre. How does this relationship contribute to western intensification?

Question 64

Examine the five words and/or phrases and determine the relationship among the majority of words/phrases. Choose the one option that does not fit the pattern.

A)California Current
B)Canary Current
C)Gulf Stream
D)North Atlantic Current
E)North Equatorial Current

Question 65

Describe monsoon circulation in the Indian Ocean basin. Include in your answer a discussion of precipitation patterns as a function of season.

Question 66

Distinguish between upwelling and downwelling.

Question 67

Describe the circulation of deep ocean water.

Question 68

Describe the El Niño Southern Oscillation. What global environmental effects characterize an El Niño event? What global environmental effects characterize a La Niña event?