Deck 7: Ocean Circulation

Question 1

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

Answer 1

False

Question 2

The most dense ocean water is North Atlantic Deep Water.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

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

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Thermohaline circulation is wind-driven.

Question 5

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/s^2.
C)km/h.
D)ml/g.
E)sverdrup.

Question 6

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

Question 7

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

Question 8

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

Question 9

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

Question 10

An eastern boundary current is narrow and swift.

Question 11

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

Question 12

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

Question 13

Deep ocean water does not travel across the equator.

Question 14

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 15

Equatorial currents are driven by the:

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

Question 16

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

Question 17

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

Question 18

Deep ocean water masses have characteristic temperatures and salinities.

Question 19

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 20

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 21

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 22

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 23

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 24

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 25

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 26

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 27

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 US Gulf coastal states.
D)increased Pacific cyclone activity.
E)water shortages in Sri Lanka.

Question 28

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 29

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 30

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 31

Geostrophic circulation is within a gyre driven by:

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

Question 32

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 33

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 34

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 35

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 36

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 37

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 38

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 39

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 40

The location where water flow 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 41

Thermohaline circulation is driven by:

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

Question 42

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 43

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 44

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 45

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 46

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.