Course Introduction
Physical Oceanography Exam
Bank
Physical Oceanography explores the fundamental physical processes that govern the behavior of the worlds oceans. This course covers topics such as the structure and properties of seawater, ocean circulation patterns, waves, tides, and the interactions between the ocean and atmosphere. Students will examine how energy from the sun drives ocean currents, the role of oceans in climate regulation, and the physical dynamics that influence marine ecosystems. Through a combination of theoretical concepts, observational techniques, and data analysis, the course provides a comprehensive understanding of the forces shaping the physical environment of the ocean.
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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Page 2
Chapter 1: Introduction to Planet Earth
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Sample Questions
Q1) mesosphere
A)innermost liquid layer of the Earth
B)oceanic crust
C)plastic portion of mantle
D)continental crust
E)lower portion of mantle
F)composed of iron, nickel, and sulfur
G)crust and upper mantle
Answer: E
Q2) Christopher Columbus established trade routes from Europe around Africa to India.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q3) Radiometric age dating is used to determine the age of most rock layers.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
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Page 3
Chapter 2: Plate Tectonics and the Ocean Floor
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Sample Questions
Q1) Water depth decreases as you move away from the mid-ocean ridge.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q2) The seafloor magnetic pattern is best described as:
A) not related to the location of oceanic ridges.
B) parallel to and symmetric about ocean ridges.
C) parallel to, but not symmetric about ocean ridges.
D) perpendicular to and symmetric about ocean ridges.
E) perpendicular to, but not symmetric about ocean ridges.
Answer: B
Q3) Paleomagnetism confirms that at particular times in the geologic past Earth has had more than one magnetic north pole.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q4) Deep focus earthquakes are often associated with deep-sea trenches.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Page 4
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Chapter 3: Marine Provinces
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Sample Questions
Q1) Underwater avalanches of muddy water mixed with rocks and debris are:
A) deep sea fans.
B) graded bedding.
C) turbidity currents.
D) turbidite deposits.
E) white smokers.
Answer: C
Q2) The most rapid change in slope in the ocean is found at the:
A) abyssal plain.
B) continental slope.
C) oceanic trench.
D) submarine canyon.
E) volcanic seamount.
Answer: C
Q3) Black smokers are hydrothermal vents that discharge superheated water with high concentrations of metal sulfides.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
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Page 5
Chapter 4: Marine Sediments
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Sample Questions
Q1) The major force bringing continental sediments to the open ocean is (are):
A) glaciers.
B) neritic currents.
C) rivers.
D) turbidity currents.
E) wind.
Q2) Beach sand is usually well-sorted.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Choose the one option that does not fit the pattern.
A)manganese nodules
B)methane hydrates
C)phosphorite
D)quartz sand
E)shell fragments
Q4) Calcareous shells will not accumulate on the ocean floor when the water depth exceeds about 4500 meters (around 15,000 feet).
A)True
B)False
Q5) List and describe the four types of marine sediments.
Page 6
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Chapter 5: Water and Seawater
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Sample Questions
Q1) Discuss the relationship between seawater density and salinity and water temperature.
Q2) Which of the following statements regarding pH is <b>not true</b>?
A) A pH of 3.0 is acidic and a pH of 10.0 is alkaline.
B) As a whole, the pH of the ocean is slightly acidic.
C) Buffers prevent large changes in the pH of a solution.
D) pH will increase in areas of rapid plant or algal growth.
E) pH relates to relative acid-base ion balance in a solution.
Q3) All of the following processes <b>decrease</b> seawater salinity <b>except</b>:
A) evaporation.
B) iceberg melting.
C) precipitation.
D) river runoff.
E) sea ice melting.
Q4) Latent heat is used to:
A) break chemical bonds.
B) change molecular structure.
C) change states of matter.
D) change the temperature of a substance.
E) form chemical bonds.
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Chapter 6: Air-Sea Interface
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Sample Questions
Q1) A maritime tropical air mass is likely to be:
A) dry and cold.
B) dry and warm.
C) wet and cold.
D) wet and the same temperature.
E) wet and warm.
Q2) Describe the impact of cyclones on the Earth's heat budget? How are the number and frequency of cyclones related to latitude and season?
Q3) Discuss the impact of the Coriolis effect on atmospheric circulation. Provide at least two examples where the Coriolis effect significantly impacts global atmospheric circulation.
Q4) A cold front is likely to have heavy, brief showers associated with it.
A)True
B)False
Q5) The jet stream is a fast moving easterly flowing air mass. A)True
B)False
Q6) The Saffir-Simpson scale rates the relative intensity of tropical cylones.
A)True
B)False
Page 8
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Chapter 7: Ocean Circulation
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Sample Questions
Q1) Compare and contrast<b> western boundary currents </b>and <b>eastern boundary currents</b>.
Q2) 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.
Q3) Which of the following is <b>not</b> an eastern boundary current?
A) California Current
B) Canary Current
C) Gulf Stream
D) Peru Current
E) W. Australian Current
Q4) The West Wind Drift occurs at 60ºN around the Arctic Circle.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Describe the circulation of deep ocean water.
Q6) Distinguish between <b>upwelling</b> and <b>downwelling</b>.
Page 9
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Chapter 8: Waves and Water Dynamics
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Sample Questions
Q1) A tsunami is considered to be a:
A) capillary wave.
B) deep-water wave.
C) reflected wave.
D) refracted wave.
E) shallow water wave.
Q2) If a surfer wishes to have a really long ride, what type of wave should he or she look for?
A) gravity waves
B) plunging breakers
C) spilling breakers
D) surf
E) swells
Q3) Compare shallow water and deep water waves.
Q4) The speed of a shallow-water wave is proportional to:
A) water depth.
B) wave frequency.
C) wave height.
D) wave period.
E) wavelength.
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Chapter 9: Tides
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Sample Questions
Q1) Tidal current can produce rotary currents called:
A) ebb currents.
B) flood currents.
C) shoals.
D) tidal bores.
E) whirlpools.
Q2) Choose the one option that does not fit the pattern.
A)full moon
B)neap tide
C)new moon
D)spring tide
E)syzygy
Q3) Discuss the influence of the relative masses and distance between the two objects on tide generating forces.
Q4) A full tidal cycle is:
A) 12 hours in duration.
B) 12 hours 25 minutes in duration.
C) 24 hours in duration.
D) 24 hours and 50 minutes in duration.
E) 48 hours in duration.
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Chapter 10: The Coast: Beaches and Shoreline Processes
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Sample Questions
Q1) Describe the features associated with erosional coasts and discuss their formation.
Q2) Longshore drift is a current that transports sand in a circular motion in the water column.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Which of the following will decrease the velocity of the longshore current?
A) increased beach slope
B) increased wave frequency
C) increased wave period
D) larger waves
E) faster wind speed
Q4) If one were to walk from the ocean landward across a barrier island complex, in which order would one encounter the following environments?
A) barrier flat, dune, beach, low marsh, high marsh
B) beach, dune, barrier flat, high marsh, low marsh
C) beach, dune, barrier flat, low marsh, high marsh
D) dune, barrier flat, beach, high marsh, low marsh
E) low marsh, high marsh, barrier flat, dune, beach
Q5) Discuss the seasonal migration of sand on a beach.
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Chapter 11: The Coastal Oceans
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Sample Questions
Q1) Natural processes which help to remove oil spills from the ocean include all of the following <b>except</b>:
A) evaporation from the ocean surface.
B) digestion of significant amount by fish populations.
C) dispersal due to wave and wind action.
D) sinking due to aggregation into tarry lumps.
E) sinking of coated particles.
Q2) Salt marshes serve as nurseries for over half of the commercially important fish in the southeastern United States.
A)True
B)False
Q3) The most biologically devastating oil spills in the marine environment are a result of:
A) blow out accidents on drilling platforms.
B) collision and/or sinking of oil tankers.
C) discharge from refueling tankers and ships.
D) natural deep-sea seeps.
E) urban run-off.
Q4) List and describe the four types of estuaries and give an example of each.
Q5) List the types of marine pollutants.
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Chapter 12: Marine Life and the Marine Environment
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Sample Questions
Q1) Euryhaline organisms:
A) are less common than stenohaline organisms.
B) can survive wide salinity fluctuations.
C) require less oxygen for survival.
D) tolerate a narrow range of salinities.
E) tolerate small temperature changes.
Q2) 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.
Q3) Which of the following associations is <b>incorrect</b>?
A) Kingdom Animalia - dolphins
B) Kingdom Fungi - mushrooms
C) Kingdom Monera - bacteria in hydrothermal vents
D) Kingdom Plantae - macroalgae
E) Kingdom Protista - phytoplankton
Q4) Compare and contrast the ways marine organisms are classified including: by mode of nutrition, location in the marine environment where they live, and size.
Page 14
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Chapter 13: Biological Productivity and Energy Transfer
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Sample Questions
Q1) Choose the one option that does not fit the pattern.
A) bacteriovores
B) carnivores
C) detritivores
D) frugivores
E) herbivores
Q2) Choose the one option that does not fit the pattern.
A) Avicennia
B) Rhizophora
C) Sargassum
D) Spartina
E) Zostera
Q3) The by-products of photosynthesis are carbon dioxide (CO ) and water (H O).
A)True
B)False
Q4) Discuss the formation of the Gulf of Mexico dead zone. Why does this area form in the warmer months of the year?
Q5) Why do algal blooms frequently occur during spring and fall?
Q6) Describe how commercial fisheries are regulated in the United States.
Q7) Why are upwelling zones more productive than coastal oceans?
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Chapter 14: Animals of the Pelagic Environment
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Sample Questions
Q1) The California gray whale is unusual because it stirs up bottom sediment in order to feed.
A)True
B)False
Q2) The fin(s) that have been modified in rays and skates for efficient movement is (are) the:
A) anal fin.
B) caudal fin.
C) dorsal fin.
D) pectoral fins.
E) pelvic fin.
Q3) Muscles segments used in locomotion and found along the sides of fish are called myomeres.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Discuss the role of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) in regulating commercial whaling.
Q5) The migration routes of marine fishes and mammals are well known by man. A)True
B)False
Page 16
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Chapter 15: Animals of the Benthic Environment
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Sample Questions
Q1) Two frequent inhabitants of a rocky coast tide pool are:
A) buckshot barnacle and rockweed.
B) goose barnacle and mussel.
C) periwinkle snail and kelp.
D) sea anemone and hermit crab
E) sea stars and Ulva.
Q2) All of the following are examples of strategies employed by organisms to reduce wave shock in the rocky intertidal zone <b>except</b>:
A) byssal threads.
B) flexible stems and blades.
C) holdfasts.
D) motile larvae.
E) the use of suction to attach to rocks.
Q3) Male fiddler crabs use their enlarged claw to:
A) attract a mate.
B) defend themselves against predators.
C) dig the burrow.
D) feed on algae growing on the mud flat surface.
E) plug the hole in the burrow when the tide comes in.
Q4) 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) Decrease of summer ice cover in the Arctic Ocean has had a significant impact on Arctic wildlife.
A)True
B)False
Q2) A decrease in global atmospheric temperature is caused by the absorption of carbon dioxide by the world's oceans.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Natural causes for global climate change include all of the following <b>except</b>:
A) changes in solar input.
B) increase in elevation.
C) tectonic plate movement.
D) variation in the Earth's orbit.
E) volcanic activity.
Q4) List the observed changes in the world's oceans as a function of increased mean atmospheric temperature.
Q5) Discuss the sources of information used by scientists to reconstruct climatic data prior to the era of modern climate records.
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