Oceanography Quiz Review

Which is the primary cause of surface winds on Earth?

• Unequal heating of the Earth
• Deflection in prevailing winds caused by the coriolis effect.
• Rotational speeds of Earth's surface at various latitudes.

Where is ocean water the densest.

• The surface
• The middle
• The bottom
• Lake Michigan

Tides occur because of

• the pull of gravity between two bodies
• the blowing of wind across the oceans
• the friction generated by waves moving along coastlines
• the diffences in temperature throughout the oceans

Wave height is a measure of the distance between

• two wave crests
• wavelength and wave period
• a wave's crest and the ocean  surface
• a wave's crest and trough

What is the primary cause of deep currents in the ocean?

• the Coriolis effect
• winds
• density differences in ocean water
• upwellings

Wave speed is calculated by dividing

• wave height by wavelength
• wavelength by wave height
• wave period by wavelength
• wavelength by wave period

Wavelength is a measure of the horizontal distance between

• two wave crests
• a wave's crest and trough
• a wave's crest and the ocean surface
• any two water molecules in the same wave

What is the primary cause of ocean waves?

• upwellings
• wind
• density differences in ocean water
• temperature differences in ocean water

Which of the following statements is true about ocean water temperature and depth?

• As depth increases, temperature increases.
• As depth increases, temperature decreases.
• As depth increases, temperature decreases, then increases.
•   Temperature and depth are not related in ocean water.

Spring tides occur when which of the following bodies form a straight line with Earth?

• the sun and the moon
• the moon and Venus
• the sun and Mars
• Venus and Mars