bio145 quiz 2

1 of 25

Compared to air, seawater is stable. As a result, physical conditions ______ in the sea.

	are always changing
	fluctuate wildly
	remain relatively constant
	change between night and day
	are always exactly the same at all depths

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2 of 25

The _______ provided by seawater allows marine organisms to reach large size without having a skeleton.

	temperature
	buoyancy
	salinity
	transparency
	oxygen content

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3 of 25

Which of the earth's layers is considered to be its coolest?

	Crust
	Mantle
	Inner Core
	Asthenosphere
	Outer Core

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4 of 25

Which of the following events removes dissolved oxygen (DO) from seawater?

	Photosynthesis
	Cellular respiration
	Diffusion from the atmosphere
	Loss of carbon from living tissue
	Death of plankton at the sea bottom

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5 of 25

An object will sink in seawater if its density is ______________________.

	greater than the density of sea water
	less than the density of sea water
	the same density as sea water
	increasing with seawater depth
	decreasing with seawater depth

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6 of 25

Places where crust plunges down into the mantle and is destroyed are called ___________ zones.

	subduction
	spreading
	anomalous
	tectonic
	earthquake

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7 of 25

Which of the following statements about the salinity of seawater is FALSE?

	Salinity is the total concentration of salts dissolved in the water.
	Salinity averages 3.5% for most oceans.
	If a person adds freshwater to seawater, the salinity will rise.
	Seawater is more buoyant than freshwater.
	Seawater tastes salty to humans.

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8 of 25

At 4°C_____________.

	water will begin to boil
	water converts to steam
	all life moves more slowly in water
	water molecules become more compact down to 2°C
	water reaches its maximum density

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9 of 25

Hydrothermal vents form as a result of the accumulation of

	animals from the deepest parts of the sea.
	bodies of dead organisms that accumulate on the bottom of the sea.
	rocks and debris dislocated by submarine movements.
	various kinds of minerals.
	lava as it flows out of cracks in the crust.

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10 of 25

Which wavelength penetrates the least distance in water?

	Blue
	Green
	Yellow
	Red
	Violet

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11 of 25

The distance between the crests of two adjacent waves is called the __________.

	wavelength
	trough
	amplitude
	period
	frequency

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12 of 25

The steepest part of the continental margin is known as the

	shelf break.
	continental rise.
	edge of the abyssal plain.
	continental slope.
	shoreline.

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13 of 25

Tides are caused by

	patterns of ocean current deflection.
	pulses of magma flowing from the center of the earth.
	gravitational attraction of the moon and sun.
	plates of the earth's crust rubbing together.
	the Coriolis Effect.

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14 of 25

The major continents have achieved their present position as a result of a geologic event known as ___.

	continental migration
	plate movement of land masses
	earth-shift dynamic
	continental drift
	land-mass subduction

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15 of 25

There is evidence that the earth and the rest of the solar system formed about

	5 million years ago.
	1 billion years ago.
	4.5 billion years ago.
	10.5 billion years ago.
	10 million years ago.

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16 of 25

The thinnest layer of the earth is the

	inner core.
	outer core.
	crust.
	mantle.
	asthenosphere .

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17 of 25

Which of the following is not true of mid-ocean ridges?

	Earthquakes and volcanoes are associated with them.
	The sediments get thinner as one moves away from them.
	The rock on the sea floor is older as one moves away from them.
	Sea floor spreading is associated with them.
	All are interconnected.

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18 of 25

Which of the following is the factor that most affects wind patterns in the atmosphere of the earth?

	Evaporation
	Cloud cover
	Temperature
	Katabatic winds
	Gravitational pull of sun and moon

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19 of 25

Spring tides are caused by which of the following?

	Gravitational attraction of the moon
	Gravitational attraction of the sun
	Gravitational attraction of the moon and the sun when in line
	Gravitational attraction of the moon and the sun when at right angles to each other
	Ocean currents

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20 of 25

The main thermocline is located at the zone

	right above the mixed layer.
	between the warm and cold layers.
	along the bottom.
	below the intermediate layer.
	right at the surface in warm tropical water.

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21 of 25

How does the oxygen content of the ocean compare to the air that humans breathe?

	Higher oxygen content
	Lower oxygen content
	No significant difference exists
	Depends of the salinity of the water
	Depends on the depth of the water

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22 of 25

Every 4,000 years a significant mixing of water from the depths of the ocean occurs. This mixing is the result of ______________________.

	thermocurrent density gradients
	tidal shift events
	El Niño
	surface layer mixing
	the great ocean conveyor

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23 of 25

The deadliest waves are known as _________________.

	submerged waves
	tsunamis
	electromagnetic waves
	surface waves
	surging waves

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24 of 25

When a wave reaches the shore, _____________________.

	the wavelength increases as the depth increases
	the time between waves becomes longer
	the depth decreases and the wave becomes more smooth
	salinity decreases and the wave "breaks"
	the wavelength shortens, and the wave becomes higher and steeper

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25 of 25

Life around hydrothermal vents depends on

	photosynthesis carried on by sea grass and other plants.
	oxygen production by surface zooplankton.
	food production by chemosynthetic bacteria.
	light from the surface coming through tropical thermoclines.
	the breakdown of dead phytoplankton drifting down from the surface.