Earth Systems Science Question
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Course Introduction
Earth Systems Science is an interdisciplinary course that explores the complex interactions among the atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and geosphere that shape our planet. Students will examine how physical, chemical, and biological processes influence Earths climate, landforms, ecosystems, and resources over time. The course emphasizes the use of systems thinking to understand environmental change, natural resource management, and human impacts on global processes, preparing students to analyze contemporary environmental challenges using scientific principles and data-driven approaches.
Recommended Textbook Essentials Of Oceanography 11th Edition by
Alan P. Trujillo
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1202 Verified Questions
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Page 2
Chapter 1: Introduction to Planet Earth
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Sample Questions
Q1) Most of the explorations by northern and western Europeans during the Middle (Dark)Ages were undertaken by:
A)Italy.
B)Portugal.
C)Vikings of Scandinavia.
D)France.
E)Spain.
Answer: C
Q2) The method of determining latitude in the Northern Hemisphere by measuring the angle between an observer's line of site to the North Star and line of site to the northern horizon was developed by:
A)Pytheas.
B)Eratosthenes.
C)Herodotus.
D)Seneca.
E)Ptolemy.
Answer: A
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Page 3
Chapter 2: Plate Tectonics and the Ocean Floor
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Sample Questions
Q1) seafloor magnetic stripes
A)transform fault
B)spreading center
C)subduction zone
Answer: B
Q2) 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
Q3) Frederick Vine and Drummond Matthews determined that new ocean floor was being produced at ocean ridges by examining:
A)apparent polar wandering.
B)fossils in marine sediments.
C)glacial debris at various locations.
D)the location of ancient coral reefs.
E)the magnetic pattern of rocks on the seafloor.
Answer: E
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4
Chapter 3: Marine Provinces
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Sample Questions
Q1) Ocean trenches are deep linear scars in the ocean floor caused by the divergence of plates along divergent plate boundaries.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q2) Along the margins of the Pacific are found most of Earth's:
A)seamounts.
B)tablemounts.
C)abyssal hills or seaknolls.
D)oceanic trenches.
E)oceanic ridges.
Answer: D
Q3) The two relatively flat areas on the hypsographic curve represent:
A)continental mountains and abyssal plains.
B)continental mountains and mid-ocean ridges.
C)continental slopes and deep-sea trenches.
D)some interior continental areas/coastal plains and abyssal plains on the ocean floor.
E)some interior continental areas/coastal plains and mid-ocean ridges.
Answer: D
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Page 5
Chapter 4: Marine Sediments
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Sample Questions
Q1) coccolithophores
A)cosmogenous sediment
B)hydrogenous sediment
C)lithogenous (terrigenous)sediment
D)biogenous sediment
Q2) manganese nodules
A)cosmogenous sediment
B)hydrogenous sediment
C)lithogenous (terrigenous)sediment
D)biogenous sediment
Q3) halite
A)cosmogenous sediment
B)hydrogenous sediment
C)lithogenous (terrigenous)sediment
D)biogenous sediment
Q4) Calcareous shells will not accumulate on the ocean floor when the water depth exceeds about 4,500 meters (around 15,000 feet).
A)True
B)False
Q5) Compare and contrast how neritic and pelagic sediment deposits are distributed.
Page 6
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Chapter 5: Water and Seawater
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Sample Questions
Q1) sea ice formation
A)evaporation
B)halocline
C)isocline
D)sublimation
E)thermocline
F)deposition
G)pycnocline
H)condensation
Q2) Any solution with a pH of greater than 7.0 is acidic.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Water molecules exhibit strong cohesion.
A)True
B)False
Q4) The density of seawater is affected by salinity and temperature.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Describe the various methods used to desalinate seawater.
Q6) How does the ocean's salinity vary with depth?
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Chapter 6: Air-Sea Interaction
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Sample Questions
Q1) Polar easterlies
A)located at 23.5° N latitude
B)located at 23.5° S latitude
C)located at 30° S latitude
D)prevailing wind pattern at tropical latitudes
E)prevailing wind pattern at polar latitudes
F)area where warm, moist air rises close to the equator
G)prevailing wind pattern at temperate latitudes
H)located at 90° N latitude
Q2) the boundary between the troposphere and stratosphere
A)troposphere
B)tropopause
C)convection cell
D)stratosphere
E)water vapor
F)ozone (O )
G)nitrogen (N )
H)oxygen (O )
Q3) Discuss the formation of land breezes and sea breezes.
Q4) Distinguish between weather and climate.
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Chapter 7: Ocean Circulation
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Sample Questions
Q1) 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.
Q2) Which of the following is a western boundary current?
A)Benguela Current
B)Brazil Current
C)Canary Current
D)California Current
E)Peru Current
Q3) Geostrophic circulation within a gyre driven by:
A)density and the wind.
B)gravity and the Coriolis effect.
C)temperature and pressure.
D)the wind and pressure.
E)salinity and gravity.
Q4) Discuss the relationship between Ekman transport and geostrophic flow within a gyre. How does this relationship contribute to western intensification?
9
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Chapter 8: Waves and Water Dynamics
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Sample Questions
Q1) The horizontal distance between two successive troughs is called the wave height.
A)True
B)False
Q2) ocean waves
A)movement of air across the air-water interface
B)destructive interference
C)movement of water of different densities along a water-water interface
D)the energy that causes ocean waves to form
E)movement of different air masses along an air-air interface
F)waves at the ocean surface involving longitudinal and transverse waves
G)constructive interference
H)reflection
Q3) A deep-water wave occurs when the water depth is equal to at least:
A)the fetch.
B)wave height.
C)wavelength.
D)1/2 of the wavelength.
E)1/20 of the wavelength.
Q4) Using examples, explain how wave refraction is different from wave reflection.
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Chapter 9: Tides
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Sample Questions
Q1) Grunion depend upon a tide-related pattern of erosion and deposition of sand for the survival of their eggs.
A)True
B)False
Q2) The center of an open ocean tidal system is called a/an:
A)amphidromic point.
B)cotidal center.
C)rotary center.
D)seiche.
E)tidal flux.
Q3) A spring tide occurs once per month.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Spring tide occurs about:
A)once per month.
B)once per season.
C)once per year.
D)twice per month.
E)twice per year.
Q5) Describe the tides in an open-ocean basin.
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Chapter 10: The Coast: Beaches and Shoreline Processes
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Sample Questions
Q1) Longshore drift is a current that transports sand in a circular motion in the water column.
A)True
B)False
Q2) All of the following are alternatives to hard stabilization except: A)seawalls.
B)beach replenishment.
C)construction restrictions.
D)relocation.
E)beach renourishment.
Q3) tombolo
A)depositional shore
B)erosional shore
Q4) Barrier islands are offshore islands made of sand deposited parallel to the shoreline creating a protective barrier for the coastline.
A)True
B)False
Q5) What is longshore drift and how is it related to a longshore current?
Q6) Describe the seasonal migration of sand on a beach.
Q7) Distinguish between an emerging shoreline and a submerging shoreline.
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Chapter 11: The Coastal Ocean
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Sample Questions
Q1) Estuarine circulation associated with a shallow, low-volume estuary in which river water mixes evenly at all depths with ocean water would be called a:
A)highly stratified estuary.
B)salt wedge estuary.
C)slightly stratified estuary.
D)tectonic estuary.
E)vertically mixed estuary.
Q2) Pollutants are any substance that has a negative effect on the environment.
A)True
B)False
Q3) The most biologically devastating oil spills in the marine environment are usually 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) Discuss the biological role of estuaries in marine ecosystems. Why is it important to protect estuaries from human perturbation?
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Chapter 12: Marine Life and the Marine Environment
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Sample Questions
Q1) Osmosis occurs when salt ions diffuse through a selectively permeable membrane with a lower ion concentration.
A)True B)False
Q2) Tropical marine organisms tend to grow more slowly, live longer, and are smaller in general than their cold-water counterparts.
A)True B)False
Q3) A euryhaline organism would be poorly adapted to living in coastal environments. A)True B)False
Q4) Which of the following statements concerning bacteria is false?
A)Bacteria can be found living in extreme environments (heat, salinity, cold, etc.).
B)Bacteria have a cell membrane and a cell wall.
C)Bacteria lack membrane-bound organelles and a distinct nucleus surrounded by a nuclear membrane.
D)Bacteria reproduce asexually only.
E)Bacteria were the first type of cells to evolve on earth.
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Chapter 13: Biological Productivity and Energy Transfer
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Sample Questions
Q1) The amount of carbon dioxide concentrations and available nutrients affect the rate of primary production in an ecosystem.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Examine the five words and/or phrases and determine the relationship among the majority of words/phrases. Choose the one option that does not fit the pattern.
A) Avicennia (black mangrove)
B) Rhizophora (red mangrove)
C) Sargassum (Gulf weed)
D) Spartina (marsh grass)
E) Zostera (eelgrass)
Q3) Equatorial upwelling decreases primary productivity in tropical waters.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Most marine algae are limited to depths shallower than 100 meters; however, some red algae have been observed growing at depths of over 250 meters.
A)True
B)False
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15
Chapter 14: Animals of the Pelagic Environment
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Sample Questions
Q1) A symbiotic relationship in which both participants benefit is called commensalism.
A)True
B)False
Q2) bottlenose dolphin
A)Order Cetacea, Suborder Odontoceti
B)Order Sirenia
C)Order Carnivora
D)Order Cetacea, Suborder Mysticeti
Q3) sperm whale
A)Order Cetacea, Suborder Odontoceti
B)Order Sirenia
C)Order Carnivora
D)Order Cetacea, Suborder Mysticeti
Q4) The function of a swim bladder is:
A)to assist the organism in steering with the currents.
B)to increase the density of the organism to keep it afloat.
C)to increase the surface area of the organism to prevent sinking.
D)to prevent predators from eating the puffer fish.
E)to allow a fish to change position in the water column.
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Chapter 15: Animals of the Benthic Environment
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Sample Questions
Q1) The temperature of the ocean water has a significant effect on species diversity of benthic communities.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Epifauna are those organisms that are either permanently attached to the bottom or move over it.
A)True
B)False
Q3) All of the following are adaptations to life in the rocky shore intertidal zone except:
A)ability to withdraw into their shells.
B)holdfasts for attachment to rock surfaces.
C)schooling to avoid predators.
D)shell to cover soft body parts for protection from predators and desiccation.
E)use of biological glue and protein threads for attachment.
Q4) The eastern side of an ocean basin tends to have greater diversity of reef-building corals than the western side.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 16: The Oceans and Climate Change
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Sample Questions
Q1) The atmospheric component that naturally contributes to the majority of greenhouse warming on Earth is:
A)carbon dioxide.
B)methane.
C)nitrous oxide.
D)ozone.
E)water vapor.
Q2) Changes occur in the Earth's climate due to changes in the relative position of the Earth's tectonic plates.
A)True
B)False
Q3) A reduction in the strength of the Gulf Stream and a decrease in North Atlantic Deep-water formation would most likely result in:
A)a cooling of the climate in northern Europe.
B)a decrease in precipitation over France, Spain, and Portugal.
C)an increase in North Sea storm intensity.
D)longer and hotter summers in southern Europe.
E)shorter and warmer winters in central Europe.
Q4) List and define the five components of Earth's climate system.
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