Earth Systems Science Test Questions
Course Introduction
Earth Systems Science explores the dynamic interactions between the atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and geosphere to understand how Earth functions as an integrated, ever-changing system. The course examines natural cycles, such as the water, carbon, and energy cycles, and investigates how internal and external forces shape our planet over time. Emphasis is placed on the impact of human activity on earth systems, environmental change, and sustainability. Through interdisciplinary approaches, students gain a holistic understanding of Earth's processes, feedback mechanisms, and the importance of maintaining the delicate balance required for life.
Recommended Textbook
Essentials of Oceanography 10th Edition by Alan P. Trujillo
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16 Chapters
1029 Verified Questions
1029 Flashcards
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Chapter 1: Introduction to Planet Earth
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62 Verified Questions
62 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The Ming Dynasty ships used magnetic compasses similar to those used today.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q2) Contrast oceanic and continental crust.
Answer: Oceanic crust is thinner, denser, and darker in color than continental crust and is composed of the igneous rock, basalt. Continental crust is thicker, less dense, and lighter in color than continental crust and is made of the igneous rock granite.
Q3) Heterotrophic organisms manufacture their own food using sunlight energy.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q4) Anaerobic organisms require oxygen to survive.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
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Chapter 2: Plate Tectonics and the Ocean Floor
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59 Verified Questions
59 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The Hawaiian Islands-Emperor Seamount Chain was formed:
A) at a subduction zone in the Pacific Ocean.
B) by magma from the upper mantle rising to the surface.
C) formed when the Pacific plate moved across a hotspot.
D) is associated with a trench.
E) parallels a Pacific Ocean subduction zone.
Answer: C
Q2) The Hawaiian Islands are located where the Pacific plate is:
A) being subducted beneath the North American plate.
B) being subducted beneath Japan.
C) being thrust over the North American plate.
D) diving under Japan.
E) moving over a hot spot.
Answer: E
Q3) volcanoes
A)divergent plate boundary
B)convergent plate boundary
Answer: A
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Page 4
Chapter 3: Marine Provinces
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53 Verified Questions
53 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Hydrothermal vents have a significant impact on ocean chemistry.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q2) Choose the one option that does not fit the pattern.
A)metal sulfide deposits
B)pillow basalts
C)rift valley
D)seamounts
E)trenches.
Answer: E
Q3) A sediment-laden current that flows off of the continental shelf is called a turbidity current.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q4) Subduction zones appear to remain nearly stationary over long periods of time.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
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Chapter 4: Marine Sediments
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Sample Questions
Q1) The element found in some sediments which suggest that a meteorite or asteroid impact occurred nearby is:
A) iridium.
B) manganese.
C) strontium.
D) uranium.
E) yttrium.
Q2) Discuss the sources of biogenous sediments.
Q3) Sediments with an extraterrestrial origin are called:
A) cosmogenous.
B) biogenous.
C) hydrogenous.
D) lithogenous.
E) volcagenic.
Q4) Choose the one option that does not fit the pattern.
A)coccolithophores
B)diatoms
C)foraminiferans
D)oolites
E)radiolarians
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Chapter 5: Water and Seawater
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57 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Choose the one option that does not fit the pattern.
A)carbonate ion
B)bicarbonate ion
C)chloride ion
D)hydrogen ion
E)hydroxide ion
Q2) A rapid change in ocean temperature with change in depth is the:
A) barocline.
B) halocline.
C) isocline.
D) pycnocline.
E) thermocline.
Q3) Processes that decrease seawater salinity include evaporation and sea ice formation.
A)True
B)False
Q4) List the major seawater constituents in decreasing concentration.
Q5) Halite, sodium chloride, is the most abundant salt in seawater.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 6: Air-Sea Interface
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Sample Questions
Q1) A hurricane contains more energy than has been generated in the U.S. over the last twenty years.
A)True B)False
Q2) The westerlies wind belt is the area corresponding to:
A) 1.
B) 2. C) 3.
D) 4.
E) 5.
Q3) The best climate models indicate that Earth's average surface temperature has risen by 5°C in the last 100 years.
A)True
B)False
Q4) The jet stream is a fast moving easterly flowing air mass.
A)True B)False
Q5) The trade winds can be found between 30° and 60°N and S latitudes. A)True
B)False
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Chapter 7: Ocean Circulation
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Sample Questions
Q1) 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.
Q2) 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.
Q3) A large amount of warm surface water from the Sargasso Sea combines with water in the Florida Current to become the Gulf Stream Current.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Distinguish between <b>upwelling</b> and <b>downwelling</b>.
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Chapter 8: Waves and Water Dynamics
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Sample Questions
Q1) Distinguish between wave <b>reflection, refraction,</b> and <b>diffraction</b>.
Q2) A wave train is caused by wave energy moving more slowly than individual waves.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Internal waves have never been directly observed.
A)True
B)False
Q4) A wave will break when:
A) distance from shore < wavelength.
B) steepness = 1:7.
C) water depth = wave height.
D) water depth = wavelength/20.
E) wavelength < wave height.
Q5) Choose the one option that does not fit the pattern
A)crest
B)height
C)length
D)period
E)trough
Q6) Compare shallow water and deep water waves.
Page 10
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Chapter 9: Tides
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Sample Questions
Q1) Spring tide occurs about:
A) once per month.
B) once per season.
C) once per year.
D) twice per month.
E) twice per year.
Q2) The monthly tidal cycle is a function of the time it takes for the moon to make one complete orbit around the Earth.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Choose the one option that does not fit the pattern.
A)full moon
B)neap tide
C)new moon
D)spring tide
E)syzygy
Q4) A lunar day is shorter than a solar day.
A)True
B)False
Q5) How do centripetal forces and gravitation forces interact to produce tides?
Page 11
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Chapter 10: The Coast: Beaches and Shoreline Processes
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Sample Questions
Q1) Compare and contrast the biological communities common to temperate and tropical intertidal coasts. Explain why the tropical intertidal plants would need to have larger root structures and grow taller than their temperate counterparts?
Q2) Erosional coasts are characterized by features of accumulated sand/pebble/rock that are eroded elsewhere and deposited on shore where longshore currents slow.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Sea caves and sea stacks are more likely to occur in an area with very hard bedrock. A)True
B)False
Q4) The section of the coast that extends from normal high tide level to the highest elevation on land that is effected by storm waves is called the:
A) backshore.
B) foreshore.
C) nearshore.
D) offshore.
E) shoreline.
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12
Chapter 11: The Coastal Oceans
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Sample Questions
Q1) The <b>Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)</b> extends:
A) 3 nautical miles form the coast.
B) 10.5 nautical miles from the coast.
C) 20 nautical miles from the coast.
D) 200 nautical miles from the coast.
E) into open international waters.
Q2) Bioremediation has been particularly effective in marine ecosystems in the clean-up of:
A) heavy metals.
B) hydrocarbons.
C) nitrates.
D) pesticides
E) thermal effluents.
Q3) An example of a coastal plain estuary is the:
A) Chesapeake Bay.
B) Laguna Madre.
C) Monterey Bay.
D) Pamlico Sound.
E) San Francisco Bay.
Q4) List and describe the four types of estuaries and give an example of each.
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Chapter 12: Marine Life and the Marine Environment
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Sample Questions
Q1) Meroplankton are organisms that spend the larval phase of their life cycle associated with the ocean bottom (benthos) and the adult phase of the life cycle as plankton.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Discuss the modern taxonomic classification of living organisms and include in your answer the distinction between a Domain and a Kingdom.
Q3) Organisms that cannot withstand large changes in temperature are referred to as:
A) eurythermal.
B) euryhaline.
C) estuarine.
D) isothermal.
E) stenothermal.
Q4) When compared to their warmer water counterparts, cold water plankton often:
A) are larger in size.
B) are smaller in size.
C) exhibit countershading.
D) have more spines and ornamentation on the cell wall.
E) reproduce asexually only.
Q5) Distinguish between plankton, nekton, and benthos and give an example of each.
Page 14
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Chapter 13: Biological Productivity and Energy Transfer
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Sample Questions
Q1) Purse seines are nets that:
A) are allowed to drift at the surface.
B) are dragged along the bottom or through the water column.
C) float at the surface.
D) are placed along the bottom to trap passing fishes.
E) surround and trap fishes.
Q2) The amount of carbon dioxide concentrations and available nutrients affect the rate of primary production in an ecosystem.
A)True
B)False
Q3) The term by-catch refers to:
A) krill and other shellfish.
B) non-target species that are caught along with commercial species.
C) species caught as part of traditional fisheries.
D) species harvested for industrial purposes.
E) species raised in aquaculture settings.
Q4) List the major taxonomic groups of marine primary producers and give an example of each.
Q5) Describe how commercial fisheries are regulated in the United States.
Q6) Why are upwelling zones more productive than coastal oceans?
Page 15
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Chapter 14: Animals of the Pelagic Environment
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Sample Questions
Q1) Bioluminescence serves all of the following purposes for organisms inhabiting the ocean depths except:
A) attracting prey.
B) camouflage.
C) communication with other species.
D) predator avoidance.
E) sexual signaling for mates.
Q2) Which of the following affect the ability of species to capture food?
A) body length
B) body temperature
C) circulatory system
D) speed
E) All of the above affect the ability of pelagic organisms to capture food.
Q3) Strategies for staying afloat in pelagic environments include air bladder, increased body fat, and increased density.
A)True
B)False
Q4) We currently believe that all marine mammals evolved from land-dwelling mammals.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 15: Animals of the Benthic Environment
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Sample Questions
Q1) Kelp forests are most common in cold, clear water with a hard bottom substrate.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Hydrocarbon seeps have been discovered :
A) along the Galapagos Ridge.
B) along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
C) in the Gulf of California.
D) in the Gulf of Mexico.
E) in the Indian Ocean.
Q3) Coral reefs contain more algal biomass than animal biomass.
A)True
B)False
Q4) The supralittoral zone of the rocky shore is the area between the highest high tide and the lowest low tide.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Coral reefs contain twenty-five percent of all marine species.
A)True
B)False
Q6) Discuss the conditions that limit the distribution of corals worldwide.
Page 17
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Chapter 16: The Oceans and Climate Change
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Sample Questions
Q1) Since 1750, the amount of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere has increased by almost:
A) 10%.
B) 20%.
C) 30%.
D) 40%.
E) 50%.
Q2) Changes in the relative position of the Earth's tectonic plates and resultant climate are reflected in the paleoclimate record contained in glacial ice and sea floor sediments.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Sea level rise worldwide can be attributed to all of the following<b> except </b>the:
A) geological uplifting of ocean basins.
B) melting of Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets.
C) melting of land-based glaciers and mountain ice caps.
D) thermal expansion of deep-ocean waters.
E) thermal expansion of surface ocean waters.
Q4) Describe the role of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
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