Week 5 of Oceanography

Ocean & Atmosphere Interface

(18 questions)

Multiple Choice

What % of earth's population lives within or near coastal regions?

• 40%

• 50%

• 60%

• 70%

Fill in the Blank

_____ is the primary storehouse of earth's water.

Multiple Choice

(T/F?) The uniform & equitable heating from the sun helps drive ocean & atmospheric circulation.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

(T/F?) The atmosphere absorbs & stores more heat than the ocean.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

(T/F?) On the ocean surface, currents are driven by the wind. But in deeper ocean, currents are driven by difference in density, which is a function of temperature & salinity (thermo-haline circulation).

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

Why is mixing & upwelling important to biological productivity?

• It ensures macro-evolution

• It helps to achieve homeostasis

• it pulls nutrients from the deep

• It lowers the thermo-cline

Multiple Select

Check all examples of ocean & atmosphere heat exchange affecting climate?

• The Dead Sea contains ten times ocean's salinity because rain is scanty & irregular

• The proliferation of casinos in coastal states attracted hurricanes

• The upwelling of cold Pacific Ocean water kept Californian coast cool & dry

• The Gulf Stream fetching heat & moisture northward moderates climate in Europe

Multiple Choice

Thunderstorms organized into self-sustained rotating systems in the tropics are called?

• Tropical storms

• Airmass thunderstorms

• Conditional instability of the second kind

• Waterspouts

Multiple Select

Check all equivalent names to hurricane in other regions of the world.

• Kamikaze

• Willy willy

• Typhoon

• Cyclone

Multiple Select

Earth's atmosphere is split into what three general circulations in each hemisphere?

• Equatorial cells

• Ferrell cells

• Hadley cells

• Polar cells

Fill in the Blank

The ________ effect (deflection) is caused by the spin of the earth which produces an apparent motion to the right in northern hemisphere & left in SH?

Multiple Choice

(T/F?) A prerequisite of the Coriolis effect is that the object experiencing it must be in motion

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

In northern hemisphere, the Coriolis effect causes the surface circulation around low pressure systems (air flowing inwards) to spin in which direction?

• Clockwise

• Anti-cyclonic

• Counter-clockwise (cyclonic)

• Downstream

Multiple Select

The jet stream, also known as the subtropical jet, is a direct result of Coriolis effect on the ascending branch of which cell? ANS: Hadley (not Ferrel, Polar, nor Prison)

• Equatorial cells

• Ferrell cells

• Hadley cells

• Polar cells

Multiple Choice

(T/F?) Polar jet, a product of temperature contrast in the upper atmosphere between Ferrel & Polar cells, is strongest during the winter time.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

(Y/N?) Is it possible for a commercial aircraft to fly supersonic relative to the ground, when it is cruising @ 555 mph @ 44,000 feet, flying with the jet stream clocked at 280 mph? The speed of sound is 745 mph.

• Yes

• No

Fill in the Blank

Deflected surface winds of Hadley cells near the equator gave rise to _____ winds which facilitated trade between Europe & American continent?

Multiple Choice

According to SciShow, do toilets, sinks, or water fountains in southern hemisphere swirl down the drain in different direction from northern hemisphere?

• Yes

• No