What is an autotroph?

What is an autotroph?


W)a generator of its own food
X) a producer of reduced carbon
Y) a consumer of plants
Z) a consumer of animals


Answer: W) A generator of its own food

Which is an example of a neritic environment?

Which is an example of a neritic environment?


W)an estuary
X) the sedimentary surface of the seafloor
Y) coastal ocean waters
Z) the surface waters of the Great Lakes


Answer: Y) Coastal ocean waters

Which of the following is the cause of red tides?

Which of the following is the cause of red tides?




W)planktonic bloom of red-colored microorganisms
X) excess of iron compounds in the water
Y) photosynthesis, combining carbon and water in sunlight
Z) organic dyes emitted by nudibranchs and neustonic organisms


Answer: W) Planktonic bloom of red-colored microorganisms

Where does primary production by marine plants occur?

Where does primary production by marine plants occur?


W)occurs at all depths
X) is limited to the upper 200 meters of the sea
Y) is limited to the aphotic zone
Z) occurs below the compensation depth only


Answer: X) is limited to the upper 200 meters of the sea

What is primary productivity a measure of?

What is primary productivity a measure of?


W) Standing crop
X) Life expectancy
Y) Rate of birth minus rate of death
Z) Rate of production of organic carbon


Answer: Z) rate of production of organic carbon

What are the two best developed senses in cetaceans?

What are the two best developed senses in cetaceans?


W) Sight and smell
X) Taste and hearing
Y) Taste and smell
Z) Sight and hearing


Answer: Z) Sight and hearing

How can you quickly determine the sex of most species of crabs?

How can you quickly determine the sex of most species of crabs?




W) External sex organs
X) Relative size of the pincher claws
Y) The shape of the abdominal plate
Z) the color of the eyes


Answer: Y) The shape of the abdominal plate

Why are chelators important to marine organisms?

Why are chelators important to marine organisms?


W) They absorb sunlight
X) They bind trace metals
Y) They prevent sinking
Z) They enhance feeding


Answer: X

Which three factors are responsible for hypoxic zones in the northern Gulf of Mexico?

Which three factors are responsible for hypoxic zones in the northern Gulf of Mexico?


W)Pesticide-laden runoff, high winds, and strong currents
X) Coastal erosion, sedimentation, and spring overturn
Y) High river runoff, vertical stratification, and high biological oxygen demand
Z) Vessel sewage discharges, nutrient elevation, and upwelling


Answer: Y

What does a chemical equation with a negative delta G indicate?

What does a chemical equation with a negative delta G indicate?


W)Releasing energy and not spontaneous
X) Endothermic and spontaneous
Y) Exothermic and may be spontaneous
Z) Using energy and not spontaneous


Answer: Y

What does the Law of Constancy of Composition state?

What does the Law of Constancy of Composition state?


W)The relative proportion of ions and their concentrations are virtually constant
X) The relative proportions of ions are virtually constant, but their concentrations may vary
Y) Changes in salinity will result in changes in the ionic concentration
Z) Ionic concentrations remain fairly constant regardless of the local environmental conditions


Answer: X)

Where is the feature called the Moho situated?

Where is the feature called the Moho situated?




W)Within the asthenosphere
X) Beneath the asthenosphere
Y) Within the lithosphere
Z) Between the lithosphere and the asthenosphere


Answer: Y

What type of plate is the San Andreas fault?

What type of plate is the San Andreas fault?




W) Convergent plate boundary
X) Divergent plate boundary
Y) Transform plate boundary
Z) Transcurrent plate boundary


Answer: Y

When does the higher berm on a beach form?

When does the higher berm on a beach form?


W)During neap tides
X) During the summer in times of low energy waves
Y) During winter conditions
Z) During high wave conditions at low tide


Answer: Y

Where does the relative motion of a transform fault occur?

Where does the relative motion of a transform fault occur?




W)Outside the adjacent ridge axes
X) West of the adjacent ridge axes
Y) Between the adjacent ridge axes
Z) East of the adjacent ridge axes


Answer: Y

What area did Project FAMOUS explore?

What area did Project FAMOUS explore?


W)Atlantic and Pacific Oceans
X) Indian Ocean abyssal plain
Y) East Pacific Rise
Z) Mid-Atlantic Ridge rift valley


Answer: Z

Which compelling piece of evidence supported the theory of seafloor spreading?

Which compelling piece of evidence supported the theory of seafloor spreading?


W) The discovery and mapping of magnetic stripes on the seafloor
X) The discovery of deep earthquakes along the Pacific Rim by Charles Richter
Y) The recordings of submarine volcanic activity along mid-ocean ridges in the 1970s
Z) Sir Edward Bullard's geographic fit of the continents


Answer: W

Which best describes the concept of hurricanes as heat transfer engines?

Which best describes the concept of hurricanes as heat transfer engines?


W)Transfer the sun's energy from temperate zones to polar zones
X) Transfer the sun's energy from the tropic to temperate zones
Y) Transfer the sun's energy from the temperate zones to the tropics
Z) Transfer the sun's energy from the northern to the southern hemispheres



Answer: X

Which of the following best defines the wavelength of a wave?

Which of the following best defines the wavelength of a wave?


W)It is the distance from crest to through measure horizontally
X) It is the distance from crest to trough measured vertically
Y) It is the time it takes for two troughs to pass a stationary point
Z) It is the smallest distance between two crests


Answer: Z

Which of the following is an implication of surface divergence?

Which of the following is an implication of surface divergence?




W)Horizontal mixing must occur as a consequence
X) Biological productivity will decrease
Y) Vertical circulation must occur as a consequence
Z) Productivity remains constant


Answer: Y

Which of the following is NOT TRUE about Langmuir circulation?

Which of the following is NOT TRUE about Langmuir circulation?


W) It is produced by the wind
X) It was first observed in the Sargasso Sea
Y) It occurs only where there is coastal upwelling
Z) It results in streaks of foam and debris along the surface of the ocean


Answer: Y

Which characteristic does not describe a tsunami?

Which characteristic does not describe a tsunami?




W)It can pass across the deep ocean without being noticed
X) It can be a few meter high with a length extending over 750 km per hour in the deep ocean
Y) It can propagate at a speed exceeding 700 kilometers
Z) It is dangerous when one encounters a tsunami in the deep ocean



Answer: Z

What is the speed of a wave equal to ?

What is the speed of a wave equal to ?




W)Height
X) Amplitude divided by the wavelength
Y) Wavelength divided by the frequency
Z) Wavelength divided by the period


Answer: Z

Which best describes the behavior of high-energy waves of winter storms?

Which best describes the behavior of high-energy waves of winter storms?




W)Move sand from offshore bars onto the beach
X) Move sand spits and tombolos
Y) Build sand spits and tombolos
Z) Hold sand on the beach and keep the beach stable


Answer: X

What is ConShelf III?

What is ConShelf III?




W)A manned submersible
X) An underwater habitat
Y) A remotely operated vehicle
Z) An autonomous explorer


Answer: X

How does a Global Positioning System receiver calculate the distance to a GPS satellite?

How does a Global Positioning System receiver calculate the distance to a GPS satellite?




W) By transmitting and receiving a radar signal aimed at the satellites
X) Using trigonometry and a radio direction finder aimed at multiple satellites
Y) By detecting the Doppler shifts in the satellite's transmission
Z) By receiving a time-stamped signal from the satellite


Answer: Z

What does the gyroscopic compass do?

What does the gyroscopic compass do?




W)Calculates magnetic variation
X) Senses the earth's rotation and orients its axis of rotation parallel to the earths axis of rotation
Y) Utilizes the relatively long term fixed positions of the stars
Z) Indicates latitude and longitude


Answer: X

Which submarine first traveled under the ice pack?

Which submarine first traveled under the ice pack?




W)USS Nautilus in 1932
X) USS Nautilus in 1958
Y) USS Skate in 1958
Z) USS Seadragon in 1960


Answer: X

What is a geoid?

What is a geoid?




W)An oblate spheroid
X) A sphere with an envelope of fluids
Y) A rotating sphere
Z) The shape of the earth


Answer: Z

What was a major flaw in the 150AD maps drawn by Ptolemy?

What was a major flaw in the 150AD maps drawn by Ptolemy?




W)Distortion of surface currents in the Mediterranean
X) Distortion of distance with longitude
Y) Distortion of Distance with latitude
Z) Distortion of topographic features


Answer: X

What is the world's largest reef complex?

What is the world's largest reef complex?




W)Florida Keys Reef Tract
X) Australian Great Barrier Reef
Y) Belize Barrier Reef
Z) Palau Reef Tract


Answer: X