Oceanographic Processes Practice
Exam
Course Introduction
Oceanographic Processes explores the fundamental physical, chemical, biological, and geological processes that shape the worlds oceans. The course covers the dynamics of ocean circulation, waves, and tides; the distribution and cycling of nutrients; key marine ecosystems; and the interaction between the ocean, atmosphere, and Earth's climate system. Students will gain insight into how energy and matter move through ocean systems, the tools used to study oceanographic phenomena, and the role of the ocean in global environmental issues. Through practical case studies and laboratory work, students develop a comprehensive understanding of ocean science and its applications to environmental stewardship.
Recommended Textbook Essentials of Oceanography 6th Edition by Tom S. Garrison
Available Study Resources on Quizplus
15 Chapters
675 Verified Questions
675 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/study-set/1056 Page 2
Chapter 1: The Origin of the Ocean
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
45 Verified Questions
45 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/20906
Sample Questions
Q1) On a planetary scale, the ocean comprises about ________ of the Earth's mass.
A) 8%
B) 71%
C) 20%
D)0.02%
Answer: D
Q2) The inner core of the Earth is primarily made of__________.
A) magnesium
B) water
C) iron
D) silicates
Answer: C
Q3) Scientists predict that our planet in its current form will exist for about another:
A) 5 billion years.
B) 1 million years
C) 500 million years
D) 13 billion years
Answer: A
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 3
Chapter 2: A History of Marine Science
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
45 Verified Questions
45 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/20907
Sample Questions
Q1) A chronometer is a timepiece that can be used to determine longitude.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q2) The future of oceanographic research appears to lie:
A) with single, isolated individuals working alone.
B) with epic voyages.
C) with the cooperative efforts of the great private, institutional, and national oceanographic institutions.
D) with the military agencies of the world.
Answer: C
Q3) Polar oceanography began with:
A) Forbes.
B) Wilkes.
C) Thompson.
D) Nansen.
Answer: D
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Page 4
Chapter 3: Earth Structure and Plate Tectonics
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
45 Verified Questions
45 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/20908
Sample Questions
Q1) The hot, partially melted, slowly flowing layer of the earth is called the:
A) core.
B) asthenosphere.
C) lithosphere.
D) mantle.
Answer: B
Q2) Japan is located along the Pacific Ring of Fire and experiences many earthquakes. Almost all of the earthquakes around Japan occur:
A) only on the east side of the island where the Pacific plate subducts.
B) only on the west side of the island where the Eurasian plate subducts.
C) near the Pacific spreading center.
D) Near the Mid-Atlantic ridge.
Answer: A
Q3) The oceanic crust is made of basalt.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 5
Chapter 4: Ocean Basins
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
45 Verified Questions
45 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/20909
Sample Questions
Q1) The Mariana Trench is about 20% deeper than Mount Everest is high. Explain how this statistic was determined and describe how each of these features were formed.
Q2) Submarine canyons occur:
A) at the part of an ocean basin nearest the poles.
B) at the part of an ocean basin nearest the equator.
C) at the junction between continental shelf and continental slope.
D) at the center of an ocean basin, at the edges of the mid-ocean ridge.
Q3) The discovery and study of ocean floor contours is called:
A) bathymetry.
B) abyssomethry.
C) stratigraphy.
D) paleoceanography.
Q4) The average elevation of the continents is:
A) 8,848 meters (16,000 feet)
B) 840 meters (2,760 feet)
C) 3,800 meters (12,000 feet)
D) 5,000 meters (15,000 feet)
Q5) What is a submarine canyon and how are they formed?
Q6) What methods do scientists use to determine the bathymetry of the ocean floor?
Page 6
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 5: Ocean Sediments
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
45 Verified Questions
45 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/20910
Sample Questions
Q1) What is the origin of manganese nodules?
Q2) Which of the following is generated in place, on the spot where we find them?
A) terrigenous sediments
B) biogenous sediments
C) hydrogenous (or authigenic) sediments
D) cosmogenous sediments
Q3) The white cliffs of Dover are chalk-like deposits of coccolithophores and are around 100 million years old.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Neritic sediments are found on the:
A) deep ocean floor mostly in the Atlantic Ocean.
B) continental shelf.
C) continental rise.
D) abyssal plains.
Q5) Clays are the coarsest and most easily transported of the terrigenous sediments.
A)True
B)False
Q6) Describe neritic sediments and explain what you would expect the composition of a typical neritic sample to be.
Page 7
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 6: Water
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
45 Verified Questions
45 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/20911
Sample Questions
Q1) The average salinity of the world ocean is about ____.
A) 35%
B)21.5%
C)3.5%
D) 52%
Q2) The hydrogen bonds of water molecules account for which of the following?
A) Water is the universal solvent.
B) Water has a low surface tension.
C) Water has a low boiling point.
D) Water has a low heat capacity.
Q3) Describe how carbon dioxide acts as a buffer in seawater.
Q4) The property of water that accounts for the ability of liquid water to absorb heat and change only very little in temperature is called:
A) high heat capacity.
B) latent heat of evaporation.
C) latent heat of fusion.
D) freezing coefficient.
Q5) Heat and temperature both measure random vibrations of an atom or a molecule.
A)True
B)False
8
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 7: Atmospheric Circulation
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
45 Verified Questions
45 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/20912
Sample Questions
Q1) Winds generally move across the United States:
A) from north to south.
B) from east to west.
C) from south to north.
D) from west to east.
Q2) There are ____ main wind bands in each hemisphere of the Earth.
A) 2
B) 3
C) 4
D) 5
Q3) Explain how the relationship between the atmosphere and the ocean affects weather and climate.
Q4) Seasons are caused by:
A) changes in the weather.
B) annual variation in the energy output of the sun.
C) the Earth's orbital tilt relative to the plane of its orbit around the sun.
D) our being closer to the sun in summer.
Q5) What are some of the variables that are important when developing a heat budget for Earth?
Q6) Describe atmospheric convection.
Page 9
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 8: Ocean Circulation
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
45 Verified Questions
45 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/20913
Sample Questions
Q1) The Kuroshio Current is an example of an eastern boundary current.
A)True
B)False
Q2) North Atlantic Deep Water generally moves ____ than the surface currents above, and flows in ____ direction as the Gulf Stream.
A) faster; the same
B) faster; the opposite
C) slower; the same
D) slower; the opposite
Q3) The densest water in ocean currents is the:
A) warmest and saltiest.
B) coldest and saltiest.
C) warmest and freshest.
D) coldest and freshest.
Q4) The ultimate source of most of the energy for ocean currents is:
A) weather.
B) wind.
C) the sun.
D) the tides.
Q5) What is upwelling and why is it important for biological productivity?
Page 10
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 9: Waves
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
45 Verified Questions
45 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/20914
Sample Questions
Q1) Constructive Interference in waves can cause:
A) an occasional wave greater than any noted before or after its occurrence.
B) every other wave to be larger or smaller than those preceding or following.
C) waves to get smaller within 24 hours.
D) waves to double in height every 24 hours.
Q2) In shallow water, the motion of water particles:
A) ceases completely.
B) forms large circular orbits.
C) becomes a back-and-forth motion near the bottom.
D) becomes an up-and-down motion near the bottom.
Q3) In the open sea, tsunami:
A) are giant breaking waves that are dangerous to ships.
B) are slow-moving waves, slower than the swell.
C) are long-period waves, often of 5-20 minutes.
D) have short wavelengths of 100-200 feet, similar to wind waves.
Q4) Waves with the greatest propagation rate or celerity:
A) have the longest wavelengths.
B) occur in shallow water only.
C) form when the wind is blowing less than 0.5 nautical miles per hour.
D) have wave periods of less than one second.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 11
Chapter 10: Tides
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
45 Verified Questions
45 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/20915
Sample Questions
Q1) Explain the relative influence of the sun and the moon on tides.
Q2) A tidal or lunar day is every 24 hours.
A)True
B)False
Q3) What are the amphidromic points of the world ocean and how are they determined?
Q4) Slack water:
A) occurs at high tide.
B) occurs at low tide.
C) occurs when the current is changing direction.
D) occurs midway between high and low tide.
Q5) The height of the ocean averaged over a few years' time is called:
A) mean high water.
B) mean low water.
C) tidal datum.
D) mean sea level.
Q6) Most of the energy from the daily rise and fall of the tides comes from:
A) the rotation of the Earth.
B) winds.
C) heat.
D) the movement of plates.
Page 12
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 11: Coasts
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
45 Verified Questions
45 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/20916
Sample Questions
Q1) Marine erosion is most rapid on low-energy coasts.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Oceanographers usually classify coasts by:
A) the type of sand found on the beach.
B) the physical processes shaping the coasts.
C) the direction the coast faces.
D) the latitude in which the coast resides.
Q3) The present shorelines of the world are considered to be:
A) geologically stable zones separating land and sea.
B) features of great geological antiquity.
C) a dynamic environment affected by both long-term and short-term cycles.
D) that part of the marine environment most resistant to change.
Q4) A sand spit forms when:
A) a long-shore current speeds up.
B) a long-shore current slows.
C) a turbidity currents flows near a coast.
D) a gyre approaches coasts.
Q5) How have human activities influenced coastal processes? Give a specific example.
Page 13
Q6) What is an estuary and how are they unique ecosystems?
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 12: Life in the Ocean
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
45 Verified Questions
45 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/20917
Sample Questions
Q1) Asteroids hitting Earth may result in mass extinctions.
A)True
B)False
Q2) The mechanism of evolution discovered by Darwin and Wallace is:
A) taxonomy.
B) natural selection.
C) classification.
D) biology.
Q3) Which of the following domains would a protistan primary producer belong to?
A) Eukarya
B) Archaea
C) Bacteria
D) None of these
Q4) Describe how energy is distributed through ecosystems and define the different trophic levels into which marine organism can be classified.
Q5) Which of the following functions to maintain a balanced pH in the ocean?
A) oxygen
B) carbon dioxide
C) nitrogen
D) phosphate
Page 14
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 13: Pelagic Communities
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
45 Verified Questions
45 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/20918
Sample Questions
Q1) Define marine community and describe the different trophic levels or ecological roles organisms may fill. What factors vary in marine communities that explain why they may change over time?
Q2) ____ refers to organisms that live on or are associated with the bottom.
A) Pelagic
B) Neritic
C) Planktonic
D) Benthic
Q3) Baleen whales are:
A) in the suborder Odontoceti.
B) in the suborder Mysticeti.
C) in the class Osteichthyes.
D) are in the order Teleostei.
Q4) Zooplankton are the most numerous primary consumers in the ocean.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Photosynthetic plankton are called phytoplankton and include the diatoms and dinoflagellates.
A)True
B)False
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 15
Chapter 14: Benthic Communities
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
45 Verified Questions
45 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/20919
Sample Questions
Q1) Life in productive tropical reefs is characterized by:
A) extreme competition for food, territory, and reproductive opportunities.
B) very few species, but large numbers of each species.
C) large adults in each species that reproduce late in life.
D) organisms with extremely long lifespans.
Q2) Kelp forests are most common in tropical latitudes.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Interstitial animals are very small and live between sand grains.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Seaweeds are:
A) vascular plants.
B) unicellular algae.
C) muticellular algae.
D) zooxanthellae.
Q5) Are the physical and chemical conditions stable in intertidal environments? Explain why or why not and provide examples to support your claims.
Q6) Compare and contrast the stability of habitats found in the deep-sea.
Q7) Is the distribution of benthic organisms random? Explain why or why not.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 16
Chapter 15: Uses and Abuses of the Ocean
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
45 Verified Questions
45 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/20920
Sample Questions
Q1) With a human population of nearly 7 billion, freshwater has become a very important natural resource for human success and prosperity. What is desalination and can it help? What challenges does this industry face?
Q2) Fishing is a growth industry, but the fishing consortia are, for the most part, careful to conserve this resource and not to exceed the maximum sustainable yield.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Second to petroleum and natural gas, the most profitable resource recovered from the marine environment is:
A) gold.
B) diamonds.
C) sand and gravel.
D) coal.
Q4) Many of today's fisheries are not sustainable. Explain some of the factors that must be considered in maintaining healthy fisheries.
Q5) Describe the four main categories of marine resources and provide examples of each.
Q6) Define "Bycatch" and explain how it is damaging to marine populations.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 17