Exam 15: Ocean Waters: the Blue of the Blue Marble

Draw a representation of the motion of an ocean wave, including labels denoting the different parts of the motion in an ocean wave. Students should include the following labels: amplitude, wavelength, wave height, crest, trough, and directional arrows.

Thermohaline circulation carries __________ water from the poles to the equator, where the water becomes __________

The prevailing global wind patterns influence

If two wind-driven waves moving from different directions came together in such a way that the wave crests overlap to form a single crest, what would happen to the size of the waves? The newly formed wave would

The Coriolis effect causes the apparent deflection of currents as a result of

Major oceanic surface currents travel

What would happen to the continents if sea level were to rise significantly?

Organisms that live on, just above, or just below the seafloor are known as benthos. The varied nature of benthos organisms can be explained by

By the beginning of the 17th century, ocean voyages had helped map the basic layout of the

Imagine you are an oceanographer mapping the sea surface temperature variations throughout the Atlantic Ocean for the Northern Hemisphere. What phenomenon best explains the difference in sea surface temperatures of two coastal cities located at the same latitude located on opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean?

Phytoplankton __________and zooplankton __________.

The interior of the North Pacific Gyre has collected vast quantities of floating plastic garbage and chemical sludge, so the region has come to be known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Explain how the marine debris became trapped in the relatively still water that lies in the center of the gyre.

The early maps of the continental shorelines are distorted from what they really look like because early ocean navigators

The interior of the North Pacific Gyre has collected vast quantities of floating plastic garbage and chemical sludge referred to as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. What impacts might this phenomenon have on the overall health of the ocean?

A streamlike flow of the ocean water is referred to as __________ , and the development of local undulations produce __________

What caused the shapes and positions of today's ocean basins to differ from their appearance in the past?

The Ekman transport causes a slow drift of water to the center of the ocean. As a result of this converging flow, sea level in the center of the ocean becomes slightly __________ than at the ocean's margins.

Describe a rogue wave and explain the impact this type of wave can have on sailors, coastal infrastructure, and ocean enthusiasts.

Outline the similarities and differences between plankton and nekton using a Venn diagram.

Oceanographers distinguish between the aphotic and photic zone based on