Deck 24: Earths Waters

Question 1

The Gulf of Mexico is a shallow sea of the

A)Atlantic Ocean.
B)Indian Ocean.
C)Pacific Ocean.
D)South American Ocean.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Of the total water supply, what is the amount that is available for human consumption and agriculture?

A)less than 1%
B)about 3%
C)about 50%
D)over 97%

Answer 2

A

Question 3

A watershed is

A)a layer of permeable material capable of storing groundwater.
B)the land area drained by a stream.
C)the amount of precipitation released by a rainstorm.
D)the amount of water stored in the ground and in reservoirs.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Compared to the amount of surface water the amount of water stored in groundwater is

A)1/10 as great.
B)roughly equal.
C)about 5 times as great.
D)roughly 25 times as great.

Question 5

The largest freshwater reservoir in the world is

A)the oceans.
B)lakes and streams.
C)the atmosphere.
D)glaciers and ice caps.

Question 6

Tidal waves are actually not associated with tides or tide-making processes.

Question 7

In the Gulf of Mexico, the Gulf Stream moves water to the southwest.

Question 8

The water that runs in permanent streams

A)comes from the runoff of recent rains or snow.
B)comes from groundwater that has seeped into the stream channel.
C)accounts for about 70% of precipitation.
D)flows intermittently.

Question 9

The average daily water consumption in the United States is roughly ____ liters/day.

A)150
B)570
C)1,500
D)5,700

Question 10

Ocean waves transport objects that float toward the shore.

Question 11

About what is the average concentration of salts in Earth's oceans?

A)0.35%
B)3.5%
C)35%
D)None of the above.

Question 12

Water that falls in eastern Colorado eventually ends up in the Atlantic Ocean.

Question 13

The two most common ions in seawater are sodium and

A)calcium.
B)carbonate.
C)magnesium.
D)chlorine.

Question 14

Plant life in the upper, sunlit water tends to reduce the concentration of carbon dioxide and increase the concentration of dissolved oxygen gas.

Question 15

Dense, high salinity water from the Atlantic Ocean flows into the Mediterranean Sea, making it one of the saltier seas.

Question 16

The greatest use of fresh water in the United States is for industrial purposes.

Question 17

The water table is an underground layer of water that tends to follow the topography of the surface.

Question 18

The water that evaporates from lakes and streams is fresh, whereas water evaporating from the oceans is salty.

Question 19

Waves "break" as they approach a shore due to the friction between the bottom and the moving water.

Question 20

A layer of heavy clay after a rain would be

A)highly porous and permeable.
B)quite porous, but not very permeable.
C)not very porous, but quite permeable.
D)neither porous nor permeable.

Question 21

Which of the following statements about seamounts is false?

A)They are steep volcanic peaks in ocean basins.
B)They are most common in the Pacific Ocean.
C)Islands are seamounts that are higher than sea level.
D)Iceland is an example of a giant seamount in the Atlantic Ocean.

Question 22

The greatest volume of water is moved by the

A)Mississippi River.
B)Gulf Stream.
C)Colorado River.
D)California Current.

Question 23

Consider the shore profile below. At what point would waves whose wavelength is 20 m begin to experience friction with the bottom?

A)A
B)B
C)C
D)D

Question 24

All of the following are features of ocean basins except

A)ridges.
B)trenches.
C)seamounts.
D)submarine canyons.

Question 25

A current that moves parallel to the shore in the surf zone is called a

A)rip current.
B)longshore current.
C)undertow.
D)turbidity current.

Question 26

Considering only available sunlight and the ability to dissolve gases, the most abundant plant life should be found in a

A)cool, relatively shallow ocean.
B)warm, relatively shallow ocean.
C)cool very deep ocean.
D)warm, very deep ocean.

Question 27

An object floating on the surface when a waves passes

A)bobs up and down.
B)is pushed along by the wave.
C)moves up and forward, then down and backward.
D)moves in a backward circular motion.

Question 28

Which of the following statements about the continental shelf is false?

A)It is part of the continent covered with an average depth of 130 m of seawater.
B)It is probably above water during major ice ages.
C)It is the transition between the continent and the deep ocean basins.
D)On average, it is about 75 km wide.

Question 29

Surface ocean currents are generally driven by

A)the prevailing winds.
B)Earth's rotation.
C)density currents.
D)heat from Earth's interior.

Question 30

The characteristics of ocean waves are influenced by

A)wind speed.
B)length of time the wind blows.
C)the fetch.
D)All of the above.