Deck 6: Water

Question 1

The components of ocean water whose quantities are less than 1 part per million (ppm)are considered ____.

A)excess volatiles
B)Zwitterions
C)major constituents
D)trace elements

Answer 1

D

Question 2

About what percentage of the incoming sunlight that is intercepted by Earth actually reaches the surface to be converted to heat?

A)20%
B)35%
C)50%
D)65%

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Oxygen enters seawater ____.

A)through the respiration of animals
B)as a byproduct of photosynthesis and diffusion from the atmosphere
C)as a result of decomposition of plant and animal remains
D)through the oxidation of metal ions in seawater

Answer 3

B

Question 4

As carbon dioxide enters the ocean, it ____.

A)is used by animals for respiration
B)bonds to water molecules to increase the salinity of the ocean
C)forms carbonic acid
D)becomes a product of photosynthesis

Question 5

If our planet were without its ocean, but otherwise the same as it is today, surface temperatures would be ____.

A)more extreme
B)less extreme
C)about the same as we know today
D)impossible to tell without more information

Question 6

The average salinity of the world ocean is about ____.

A)35%
B)21.5%
C)3.5%
D)52%

Question 7

What is the approximate mixing time of the world ocean?

A)about 1,600 years
B)about 160,000 years
C)about 160,000,000 years
D)about 1 million years

Question 8

Which of the following statements about pH is true?

A)The pH scale measures the concentration of hydrogen ions in a solution.
B)A pH of 3 is alkaline, a pH of 10 is acid.
C)An acid is a substance that combines with a hydrogen in solution.
D)On average, the pH of the ocean is moderately acidic.

Question 9

At the present time, the salinity of the ocean seems to be ____.

A)increasing due to evaporation as the Earth warms up
B)decreasing due to several years of excessive rainfall
C)increasing due to pollution
D)in chemical equilibrium, where ions are added to the ocean at the same rate as they are being removed

Question 10

Heat can be carried to the polar regions ____.

A)in ocean currents from the tropics
B)in the circumpolar ocean current
C)as water is transported away from the poles
D)as water is transported towards lower latitudes

Question 11

Eighty calories of heat energy must be removed per gram of pure water at 0°C to form ice. This represents water's ____.

A)latent heat of evaporation
B)latent heat of fusion
C)sensible heat
D)temperature

Question 12

The hydrogen bonds of water molecules account for which of the following?

A)Water can dissolve almost any substance.
B)Water has a low surface tension.
C)Water has a low boiling point.
D)Water has a low heat capacity.

Question 13

The amount of oxygen that seawater can hold in solution will be greater in ____.

A)colder water
B)warmer water
C)water with a higher salinity
D)water with less pressure and density

Question 14

The term "salinity" refers to the total quantity of ____.

A)dissolved inorganic solids in the ocean
B)sodium chloride dissolved in the ocean
C)chlorine in one kilogram of water
D)chloride ions in the water

Question 15

Residence time is the ____.

A)same for all elements in the ocean
B)average length of time an element spends in the ocean
C)length of time it takes an element to dissolve in the ocean
D)same as mixing time

Question 16

The property of water that accounts for the ability of liquid water to absorb large amounts of heat and change relatively little in temperature is called ____.

A)high heat capacity
B)latent heat of evaporation
C)latent heat of fusion
D)freezing coefficient

Question 17

What type of bond enables water molecules to stick together?

A)covalent bond
B)molecular bond
C)hydrogen bond
D)atomic bond

Question 18

The principle of constant proportions states that the ____.

A)total amount of dissolved solids in the ocean is a constant
B)salinity of the ocean is a constant
C)excess volatile ratio of the ocean is a constant
D)ratio of major salts in samples of seawater from various places is a constant

Question 19

The hydrogen atoms in a water molecule tend to bond to ____.

A)each other
B)oxygen atoms of another water molecule
C)hydrogen atoms of another water molecule
D)all positively charged ions

Question 20

The two most abundant elements (ions)dissolved in seawater are ____.

A)fluorine and iodine
B)gold and silver
C)bromine and boron
D)sodium and chloride

Question 21

The pycnocline can occur at the same range of depths as a halocline.

Question 22

Which region of the ocean generally lacks a thermocline?

A)tropical region
B)temperate region
C)sub-tropical region
D)polar region

Question 23

Red light is able to penetrate the water deepest.

Question 24

The most precise way to calculate the salinity of seawater is to evaporate a known weight of seawater and weigh the residue.

Question 25

Heat and temperature both measure random vibrations of an atom or a molecule.

Question 26

The deepest thermoclines can be found ____.

A)in temperate zones
B)in Antarctica
C)in the tropics
D)anywhere, depending on water salinity

Question 27

The thin layer of lighted water near the surface of the ocean is called the ____.

A)SOFAR layer
B)photic zone
C)aphotic zone
D)pycnocline

Question 28

A zone in which the ocean's salinity changes rapidly with increasing depth is called a ____.

A)a halocline
B)a thermocline
C)a pycnocline
D)a metacline

Question 29

Frozen water is more dense than liquid water.

Question 30

The density of seawater is affected by both temperature and salinity.

Question 31

The wavelengths of light that penetrate deepest into the ocean are ____.

A)red and violet
B)red and yellow
C)blue and red
D)green and blue

Question 32

Which of the following statements is true regarding sound in the ocean?

A)Sound is scattered as it bounces off suspended particles in the water.
B)Sound intensity increases as it moves through the ocean because of absorption.
C)The speed of sound in the ocean is ten times less than the speed of sound in air.
D)The speed of sound in the ocean decreases as temperature increases.

Question 33

The bending of light or sound waves is referred to as ____.

A)reflection
B)refraction
C)absorption
D)transmission

Question 34

The salinity of seawater is a measure of the amount of sodium and chloride in a water sample.

Question 35

As carbon dioxide dissolves at the surface of the ocean, it combines chemically to form a weak acid called carbonic acid.

Question 36

Scientists believe the global change in greenhouse gases is making the surface ocean fresher in high latitudes.

Question 37

Which of the following statements is true regarding the ocean's SOFAR layer?

A)SOFAR is an acronym for "sound finding and refraction."
B)Ssound transmits for only a very short distance within this layer.
C)Sound velocity is at a minimum within this layer.
D)Sound velocity is at a maximum within this layer.

Question 38

The ocean is stratified with respect to ____.

A)pH
B)temperature
C)amount of dissolved oxygen
D)amount of dissolved carbon dioxide

Question 39

The geometry of the covalent bonds shared by the hydrogen atoms and oxygen atom in a water molecule account for its polarity.

Question 40

The density of seawater will increase when ____.

A)the temperature increases
B)the salinity decreases
C)the salinity increases
D)dissolved gases increase

Question 41

Describe the distribution of oxygen in the ocean from the surface to the deep sea.

Question 42

What is meant by the mixing time of the ocean?

Question 43

Explain at least three processes that happen to light from the sun as it reaches the surface of the ocean.

Question 44

Describe how carbon dioxide acts as a buffer in seawater.

Question 45

Describe the factors that affect the distance and the rate at which sound travels in the ocean. Would you expect sound to travel faster through warm or cold water? Shallow or deep? Why?