Ocean-Atmosphere Interactions
Exam Preparation Guide
Course Introduction
This course explores the dynamic interactions between the ocean and atmosphere, emphasizing the physical, chemical, and biological processes that govern the Earth's climate system. Students will examine the exchange of energy, momentum, and mass at the air-sea interface, and gain a deeper understanding of phenomena such as El Niño, monsoons, and hurricanes. The course integrates principles from meteorology and oceanography to explain how ocean-atmosphere coupling affects weather patterns, climate variability, and long-term climate change, with practical applications in environmental forecasting and resource management.
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
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/41200
Sample Questions
Q1) Early Polynesians only traveled within sight of land.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q2) The salinity of the oceans has been steadily increasing. A)True
B)False Answer: False
Q3) Heterotrophic organisms manufacture their own food using sunlight energy.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q4) The mantle could not have produced enough water to fill the oceans.
A)True
B)False Answer: False
Q5) Anaerobic organisms require oxygen to survive.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Page 3
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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) Water depth decreases as you move away from the mid-ocean ridge.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q2) Oceans become deeper moving away from ridges due to:
A) decreasing thickness of the lithosphere.
B) increasing density of oceanic basalts.
C) increases in sediment accumulations.
D) polar wandering.
E) thermal contraction of hot asthenosphere.
Answer: E
Q3) Moving from oceanic ridge to oceanic trench, the thickness of the lithosphere:
A) decreases in proportion to the distance.
B) is unrelated to the distance from the ridge.
C) increases in proportion to the distance.
D) randomly varies.
E) remains the same.
Answer: C
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4
Chapter 3: Marine Provinces
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53 Verified Questions
53 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Seamounts form from ancient tablemounts.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q2) Continental rises are formed:
A) as a result of the slow accumulation of sediments from the water column.
B) by many deep sea fans.
C) in association with hydrothermal vents
D) next to submarine canyons.
E) on the flank of a mid-ocean ridge.
Answer: B
Q3) Mid-ocean ridges are rises that occupy a small portion of the deep ocean basin, only around 10%.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
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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71 Verified Questions
71 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Calcareous ooze is found in cooler waters at depth around the world.
A)True
B)False
Q2) List the particle names and corresponding grain size, from smallest to largest, using the Wentworth scale of grain size.
Q3) All of the following are hydrogenous sediments <b>except</b>:
A) evaporites.
B) halites.
C) manganese nodule.
D) phosphates.
E) stromatolites.
Q4) All of the following are lithogenous sediments <b>except</b>:
A) beach sand.
B) diatom ooze.
C) glacial deposits.
D) illite clays.
E) volcanogenic particles.
Q5) Discuss the sources of biogenous sediments.
Q6) Compare and contrast neritic and pelagic sediment deposits.
Q7) List and describe the four types of marine sediments.
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Chapter 5: Water and Seawater
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57 Verified Questions
57 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Many of the unique properties of water are attributed to the fact that water:
A) contains hydrogen bonds.
B) exists in three phases at the earth's surface.
C) is a polar molecule.
D) is a universal solvent.
E) requires heat to condense.
Q2) Water can pile up higher than the edge of a container due to its low surface tension.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Some insects can glide across the surface of water due to water's:
A) capillarity.
B) hydrogen bonds.
C) polarity.
D) surface tension.
E) viscosity.
Q4) Discuss how hydrogen bonding in water allows water to support life on earth. Include in your answer how hydrogen bonding affects the physical and chemical properties of water.
Q5) How does the ocean's salinity vary with depth?
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Chapter 6: Air-Sea Interface
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58 Verified Questions
58 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The wind belt(s) with strong, reliable, generally easterly winds is (are) the:
A) doldrums
B) horse latitudes.
C) polar easterlies.
D) trade winds.
E) westerlies.
Q2) A mole of methane is able to absorb much more heat than one mole of carbon dioxide.
A)True
B)False
Q3) A cold front is likely to have heavy, brief showers associated with it.
A)True
B)False
Q4) The greenhouse gas that accounts for most of the natural greenhouse effect in Earth's atmosphere is carbon dioxide.
A)True
B)False
Q5) A maritime polar air mass is likely to be dry and cold.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 7: Ocean Circulation
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71 Verified Questions
71 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Surface ocean currents are vertical currents in the water column and density-driven.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Choose the one option that does not fit the pattern.
A)Australian drought
B)decreased fish stock in coastal Peru
C)flooding rains in southeastern U.S.
D)Peruvian upwelling stops
E)strong trade winds
Q3) The most dense ocean water is North Atlantic Deep Water.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Strong upwelling occurs in all of the following <b>except</b>:
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.
Q5) Describe the circulation of deep ocean water.
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Chapter 8: Waves and Water Dynamics
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72 Verified Questions
72 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The circular motion of water molecules extends to a depth that is equal to:
A) wave height/wavelength.
B) wave height/wave period.
C) wavelength/wave height.
D) wavelength/2.
E) wavelength/20.
Q2) capillary wave
A)density
B)wind
C)constructive interference
D)gravitational forces
E)tectonic activity
F)refraction
G)destructive interference
H)reflection
Q3) A wave train is caused by wave energy moving more slowly than individual waves.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Compare shallow water and deep water waves.
Q5) Describe the formation of water waves from a still ocean surface.
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Chapter 9: Tides
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60 Verified Questions
60 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Choose the one option that does not fit the pattern.
A)ebb current
B)ebb tide
C)flood current
D)flood tide
E)neap tide
Q2) The plane through the ellipse that marks the revolution of the Earth around the Sun is called the ecliptic.
A)True
B)False
Q3) An area that experiences semidiurnal tides will have:
A) one high tide and one low tide daily.
B) one high tide and two low tides daily.
C) one low tide and two high tides daily.
D) two high tides and two low tides of nearly equal height daily.
E) two unequal low and high tides daily.
Q4) Differentiate between <b>apogee</b> and<b> perigee</b> and discuss the effect on tidal height when perigee coincides with spring tide.
Q5) How do centripetal forces and gravitation forces interact to produce tides?
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Chapter 10: The Coast: Beaches and Shoreline Processes
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65 Verified Questions
65 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Discuss the seasonal migration of sand on a beach.
Q2) Sea caves and sea stacks are more likely to occur in an area with very hard bedrock.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Narrow currents flowing across the surf zone toward the open ocean are called:
A) longshore currents.
B) nearshore currents.
C) rip currents.
D) surf flow.
E) swash.
Q4) Barrier islands are offshore islands where sand is deposited parallel to the shoreline creating a protective barrier for the coastline.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Elevated wave-cut platforms in southern California are evidence that this coastal area is emergent.
A)True
B)False
Q6) Distinguish between an <b>emergent coast </b>and a<b>submerged coast</b>.
Page 12
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Chapter 11: The Coastal Oceans
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65 Verified Questions
65 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) 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.
Q2) Distinguish between <b>estuaries, lagoons</b>, and <b>marginal seas</b> and give an example of each.
Q3) 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.
Q4) Pollutants are any substance that has a negative effect on the environment.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 12: Marine Life and the Marine Environment
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72 Verified Questions
72 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Plankton which are 2.0 to 0.2 m in size are called:
A) nanoplankton.
B) net plankton.
C) picoplankton.
D) phytoplankton.
E) zooplankton.
Q2) High latitude ocean water tends to support large planktonic communities because:
A) fewer predators that feed on plankton.
B) longer summer day length.
C) of higher dissolved gas concentrations.
D) there is abundant light.
E) there are abundant nutrients.
Q3) Define the terms<b> hypotonic, hypertonic</b>, and <b>isotonic </b>and discuss their relationship to osmotic pressure.
Q4) Coastal waters that are highly productive tend to be:
A) brown in color.
B) colorless.
C) deep blue in color.
D) green in color.
E) light blue in color.
Page 14
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Chapter 13: Biological Productivity and Energy Transfer
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68 Verified Questions
68 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Diatoms, important producers in the epipelagic open ocean, are members of the Division:
A) Angiospermae.
B) Bacillariophyta.
C) Chlorophyta.
D) Haptophyta.
E) Pyrrophyta.
Q2) Discuss the formation of the Gulf of Mexico dead zone. Why does this area form in the warmer months of the year?
Q3) If 10,000 KCAL of energy were contained in the primary producers, on average how many KCAL of energy would you expect to be transferred to third-order consumers?
A) 10,000 KCAL
B) 1000 KCAL
C) 100 KCAL
D) 10 KCAL
E) 1 KCAL
Q4) Describe how commercial fisheries are regulated in the United States.
Q5) How can overfishing of target species lead to significant changes in marine ecosystems?
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Chapter 14: Animals of the Pelagic Environment
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57 Verified Questions
57 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Identify the mismatched pair.
A) arrow worm - Chaetognatha
B) krill - Arthropoda
C) Physalia - Cnidaria
D) Sea gooseberry - Ctenophora
E) Squid - Annelida
Q2) Choose the one option that does not fit the pattern.
A)copepods
B)foraminiferans
C)krill
D)radiolarians
E)squid.
Q3) The California gray whale is unusual because it stirs up bottom sediment in order to feed.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Strategies for staying afloat in pelagic environments include air bladder, increased body fat, and increased density.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 15: Animals of the Benthic Environment
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68 Verified Questions
68 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The Crown of Thorns sea star is becoming increasingly more common because its predators are fish species belonging to populations that have dramatically decreased due to overfishing.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Meiofauna are small organisms that live between sediment particles on sandy beaches.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Subduction zone seeps support communities from:
A) hydrocarbon-rich waters.
B) hydrothermal waters.
C) inorganic nutrient rich waters.
D) oxygen-rich waters.
E) sulfur and methane-rich sedimentary waters.
Q4) Strong algal holdfasts prevent wave shock from washing macroalgae from the rocks in the upper intertidal zone.
A)True
B)False
Q5) 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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42 Verified Questions
42 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Discuss the sources of information used by scientists to reconstruct climatic data prior to the era of modern climate records.
Q2) Satellite data show that the rate of sea level rise since 1993 is on average about:
A) 0.5 inches/year.
B) 0.3 feet/year.
C) 3 millimeters/year.
D) 0.3 meters/year.
E) 0.006 kilometers/year.
Q3) What is the Kyoto Protocol? How has this accord impacted worldwide policies regarding greenhouse gas emissions?
Q4) Choose the one option that does not fit the pattern.
A)changes in deep water circulation
B)decreased hurricane activity
C)increased ocean acidity
D)polar ice melting
E)sea level rise
Q5) Explain the processes currently responsible for worldwide sea level rise. How will these changes in sea level affect coastal nations?
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