Copy of Physical Oceanography

Multiple Choice

What is the role of the moon's gravity in the formation of tides?

• It has no effect

• It pulls the ocean and land

• It only affects the ocean

• It only affects the land

Multiple Choice

Look at the diagram provided. How many points on Earth, as indicated by the arrows, will be experiencing high tides?

• 1

• 2

• 3

• 4

Multiple Choice

What factors affect the tides according to the image?

• Shape of the shoreline

• Shape of bays/estuaries

• Local wind and weather patterns

• All of the above

Multiple Choice

What is the definition of tidal range?

• The difference between high tide and low tide

• The height of the ocean floor

• The distance between two tides

• The speed of tidal waves

Multiple Choice

During the moon phase shown in the image Earth will experience a -

• Spring Tide

• Neap Tide

Multiple Choice

What are Neap Tides and when do they occur?

• During full moons

• During new moons

• During 1st and 3rd quarter moons

• During solar eclipses

Multiple Choice

What are the characteristics of spring tides compared to neap tides?

• Spring tides have minimal range

• Neap tides have extreme high and low tides

• Spring tides occur during full moons

• Neap tides occur during new moons

Multiple Choice

What is the definition of a semi-diurnal tide?

• One high and one low water per tidal day

• Two high and two low waters per tidal day

• Three high and three low waters per tidal day

• Variable heights of tides

Multiple Choice

What is the duration of one full tidal cycle?

• 24 hrs 50 mins

• 12 hrs 25 mins

• 6 hrs 12.5 mins

• 48 hrs

Multiple Choice

What is the average tidal range of the Bay of Fundy?

• 30ft

• 40ft

• 50ft

• 60ft

Multiple Select

What are the impacts of Perigean tides?

• Road closures

• Overwhelmed storm water systems

• Damage to transportation infrastructure

• Coastal erosion

Multiple Choice

What conditions lead to a perigean spring tide?

• When the moon is in its first quarter

• When the moon is closest to Earth

• When the moon is in its last quarter

• When the moon is farthest from Earth

Multiple Choice

What is a storm surge and what factors influence its amplitude?

• The height of water above normal tide

• The speed of the storm

• The direction of the wind

• The temperature of the water

Multiple Choice

What is storm tide and how is it formed?

• The total observed seawater level during a storm

• The highest storm tides observed during a new moon

• The combination of storm surge and astronomical tide

• The lowest tide observed during a storm

Multiple Choice

How do tides affect marine life at the beach or in an estuary?

• They have no effect on marine life.

• They only affect fish.

• They can expose or cover organisms.

• They only affect the water temperature.

Multiple Choice

Alternate exposure to air and water caused by the tides results in intertidal organisms occupying specific zones according to their range of tolerance to:

• dryness

• temperature

• predation

• feeding

Multiple Choice

What are ocean waves?

• The result of forces acting on the water.

• Represent the flow of energy or motion.

• Both A and B.

• None of the above.

Multiple Choice

As energy passes through the water in a wave, how do the water molecules move?

• against the currents

• in the direction of the waves

• in a small orbital motion

Multiple Choice

What does 'wind duration' refer to in wave formation?

• The speed of the wind

• The height of the waves

• The distance the wind travels

• The time for which the wind has blown over the water without disruption

Multiple Choice

What property of the wave is represented by the letter "A"?

• amplitude

• crest

• trough

• wavelength

Multiple Choice

All waves carry ________ as they travel from one place to another.

• matter

• space

• energy

• water

Multiple Choice

The waves are traveling at the same speed.

Which wave has the greater frequency?

• Graph on the Left

• Graph on the Right

• Both have the same frequency

Multiple Choice

Which word is used to identify the distance between points C & G?

• Amplitude

• Crest

• Frequency

• Wavelength

Multiple Choice

What are the three types of wave interference patterns described in the image?

• Constructive

• Destructive

• Mixed

• Transitional

Multiple Choice

What distinguishes a tsunami from other types of ocean waves?

• The wave energy of tsunamis increases as the water depth decreases.

• A tsunami forms when a large volume of water is suddenly displaced up or down.

• A tsunami is caused by the disruption of deep ocean currents by volcanic eruptions.

• The wave height of a tsunami is much lower in the center of the ocean than it is near shore.

Multiple Choice

True or false? A restoring force makes a wave larger.

• TRUE

• FALSE

Multiple Choice

True or false? Constructive interference will cause a wave to get bigger.

• TRUE

• FALSE

Multiple Choice

Which one of these is NOT a cause of a tsunami?

• wind

• landslide

• earthquake

• volcanic eruption

Multiple Choice

Which breaker type is the most exciting to go surfing?

• Surging

• Spilling

• plunging

Multiple Choice

Surface currents are caused by the surface of the Earth and by the force and direction of wind.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

Surface currents are a result of

• Global Wind Patterns
• Earth's Rotation
• Density
• All of the above

Multiple Choice

The Coriolis Effect is caused by

• Earth rotating around the sun
• Earth rotating on its axis
• The tides
• Gravity

Multiple Choice

The name of the system that causes the winds to spin in a hurricane

• The Coriolis Effect

• The Corleone Affect

• The Circular Wind Phenomenon

• The East-West Effect

Multiple Choice

What are trade winds?

• Winds that blow from south to north

• Winds that blow from north to south

• Winds that blow from east to west

• Winds that blow from west to east

Multiple Choice

Due to the Coriolis Effect, water in the northern hemisphere moves

• clockwise
• counter clockwise
• both
• neither

Multiple Choice

Due to the Coriolis Effect, water in the southern hemisphere moves

• clockwise
• counter-clockwise
• both
• neither

Multiple Choice

The large, circular surface-current pattern found in each ocean.

• California Current
• Surface Current
• Gyre
• Global Conveyor Belt

Multiple Choice

The replacement of nutrient-depleted water by nutrient-rich water is called

• Downwelling

• Upwelling

• Circulating

• None of the above

Multiple Choice

Downwelling brings water to the bottom of the ocean, driving deep currents

• TRUE

• FALSE

Multiple Choice

What helps in the formation of deep ocean currents?

• Temperature

• Wind

• Salinity

• All of the above

Multiple Choice

The effects of upwellings

• Nutrients are brought up from the seafloor, creating high productivity and increasing biodiversity

• Nutrient poor water sinks and traps nutrients on the bottom of the ocean

• Plastic bits are eaten by fish, who's stomachs fill and they starve

• Trash is trapped by the circular motion of water "hilling up" in the center

Multiple Choice

What is the relationship between El Niño and La Niña?

• They have no relationship

• El Niño and La Niña are the same phenomenon

• El Niño and La Niña are opposite phases of a cycle

• El Niño and La Niña occur simultaneously

Multiple Choice

What happens during La Niña?

• Trade winds weaken and warm surface water moves eastward

• Trade winds strengthen and warm surface water moves westward

• Trade winds strengthen and warm surface water moves eastward

• Trade winds weaken and warm surface water moves westward

Multiple Choice

What happens during El Niño?

• Trade winds strengthen and warm surface water moves eastward

• Trade winds weaken and warm surface water moves westward

• Trade winds strengthen and warm surface water moves westward

• Trade winds weaken and warm surface water moves eastward

Multiple Choice

In what direction do hurricanes rotate in the Northern Hemisphere?

• Clockwise
• Counterclockwise
• Up
• Down

Multiple Choice

When is Hurricane Season in the Atlantic Ocean?

• December 1st - July 4th
• March 21st - October 3rd
• May 15th - September 1st
• June 1st - November 30th

Multiple Choice

The pressure inside a hurricane is _______.

• High
• Low

Multiple Choice

What fuels a hurricane's strength?

• Wind
• Sunlight
• Warm Water
• Cold Water

Multiple Choice

Where do most hurricanes develop?

• Middle of the United States
• Near the Equator
• Near Canada and Alaska
• Antarctica

Multiple Choice

What is the calm area in the center of a hurricane called?

• Wall
• Eye
• Arm
• Hole

Multiple Choice

What happens as a hurricane moves further in-land?

• It speeds up and gets stronger
• It turns around and goes back to sea
• It slows down and gets weaker
• It stalls

Multiple Choice

What happens when trade winds become stronger than normal?

• They blow cool water back into the eastern Pacific and restart the upwelling of warm water in the western Pacific

• They blow cool water back into the western Pacific and restart the upwelling of warm water in the eastern Pacific

• They blow warm water back into the western Pacific and restart the upwelling of cool water in the eastern Pacific

• They blow warm water back into the eastern Pacific and restart the upwelling of cool water in the western Pacific

Multiple Choice

What do the wind speeds need to reach for a storm to be classified as a hurricane?

• 23 - 39 mph
• 40 - 73 mph
• 74 mph
• 600 mph