Physical Oceanography
Practice Test
1.
What is one source of sodium ions found in the ocean?
a.
volcanic gases
b.
ultraviolet radiation
c.
evaporation
d.
the shells of marine organisms
2.
During relatively warm times of Earth's geologic history, the volume of glacial ice was __________ and sea level was __________.
a.
high, low
b.
low, high
c.
low, low
d.
high, high
3.
The density of seawater is dependent on __________.
a.
temperature and currents
b.
salinity only
c.
salinity and temperature
d.
temperature only
4.
How are seas different from oceans?
a.
Seas are deeper and in lower latitudes.
b.
Seas are smaller and mostly landlocked.
c.
Seas support a wider variety of marine life.
d.
seas are larger.
5.
What are wind-driven currents called?
a.
surface currents
b.
spring tides
c.
ocean currents
d.
density currents
6.
What geologic process released large amounts of water vapor into Earth's early atmosphere?
a.
volcanic eruptions
b.
melting of glacial ice
c.
movement of ocean currents
d.
precipitation as ice, water, or snow
7.
When the Moon, Earth, and Sun are aligned, large tidal ranges called __________ occur.
a.
full tides
b.
tidal ranges
c.
neap tides
d.
spring tides
8.
What do the circles in the figure represent?
a.
wavelength
b.
water movement
c.
bubbles
d.
heat energy
9.
What is the difference between low and high tide called?
a.
tidal range
b.
neap tide
c.
full moon
d.
riptide
10.
When did the first modern oceanographic expedition occur?
a.
early 1800s
b.
1500s
c.
late 1800s
d.
early 1950s
11.
What is the densest and coldest water mass of all Earth's oceans?
a.
Gulf Stream
b.
Antarctic intermediate water
c.
North Atlantic deep water
d.
Antarctic bottom water
12.
What is the thermocline?
a.
a transitional layer in the ocean where temperature decreases rapidly with depth
b.
a layer of cold water in the ocean
c.
the formation of cold water coming from Antarctica
d.
a change in salinity with depth
13.
What determines the speed of waves in deep water?
a.
surface currents
b.
wavelength
c.
wave height
d.
direction of waves
14.
According to the graph, which salt is the most abundant in sea water?
sodium chloride (NaCl)
23.48 g
magnesium chloride (MgCl
2
)
4.98 g
sodium sulphate(Na
2
SO
4
)
3.92 g
calcium chloride (CaCl
2
)
1.10 g
potassium chloride (KCl )
0.66 g
sodium nicarbonate (NaHCO
3
)
0.19 g
potassium bromide (KBr)
0.10 g
a.
sodium chloride
b.
magnesium chloride
c.
potassium bromide
d.
sodium sulfate
15.
The velocity of sound in water is __________.
a.
1454 m/s
b.
140 m/s
c.
1,000,000 m/s
d.
4500 m/s
