Deck 15: Uses and Abuses of the Ocean

Question 1

The farming of marine organisms for human use is called ____.

A)nonextractive resource harvesting
B)trawling
C)piscaculture
D)mariculture

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Chlorinated hydrocarbons are ____.

A)toxic compounds used in pesticides and industrial solvents that cause problems in some areas of the ocean
B)created by chemosynthetic bacteria in the ocean
C)a physical resource extracted along with petroleum
D)important nutrients for some species of phytoplankton

Answer 2

A

Question 3

The maximum of each species that can be caught without impairing future populations of that species is called the ____.

A)maximum sustainable yield
B)annual catch
C)maximum global landing
D)unsustainable yield

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Pollutants that can be broken down by natural processes into simpler compounds are described as ____.

A)hermatypic
B)sustainable
C)renewable
D)biodegradable

Question 5

Which statement applies to resources from the sea?

A)They are easier to recover than from the land
B)They are more difficult to locate and extract than resources on land
C)They are in greater variety than minerals on land
D)They are less expensive to recover than from land

Question 6

A(n)____ resource is one that is naturally replaced by biological or physical processes.

A)nonrenewable
B)renewable
C)domestic
D)unsustainable

Question 7

How has the average per capita world fish catch changed over the last several decades?

A)It has been climbing steadily since the 1950s.
B)After declining in the 1960s, it has increased sharply since 1970.
C)It has stayed at 1960 levels.
D)It increased steadily to about 1970, and then declined.

Question 8

Eutrophication is caused by ____.

A)rising ocean temperatures
B)the increase of atmospheric carbon dioxide
C)the release of excess nutrients
D)overfishing

Question 9

What is potable water?

A)water suitable for drinking
B)high-salinity water
C)nutrient-rich water
D)water in a swift current

Question 10

What accounts for most of the total value of world trade transported by sea?

A)aluminum ore
B)finished goods
C)oil
D)grain

Question 11

Why are bays and estuaries especially sensitive to pollution?

A)the water is stagnant
B)fresh water can be polluted more easily
C)few bacteria are present to aid with biodegradation of pollutants
D)pollution flows out with river water or is released directly by industry in busy ports

Question 12

An example of a fishing technique that is particularly disruptive is ____.

A)hook and line
B)bottom trawling
C)fly fishing
D)spear fishing

Question 13

The method of desalination in which seawater is forced against a semipermeable membrane at high pressure is called ____.

A)reverse osmosis
B)distillation
C)reverse diffusion
D)hydrostatic filtration

Question 14

Which of the following statements is FALSE concerning bycatch?

A)Bycatch are animals unintentionally killed while fishing for other species.
B)Bycatch sometimes greatly exceeds the target catch.
C)Bottom trawling is one of the methods that results in a lot of bycatch.
D)Bycatch are commonly used for food as well.

Question 15

About ____ percent of worldwide stocks of tuna, cod, and other large ocean fishes have disappeared in the last 50 years.

A)10
B)30
C)60
D)90

Question 16

What involves the introduction into the ocean by humans of substances or energy that changes the quality of the water or affects the physical, chemical, or biological environment?

A)sustainability
B)marine pollution
C)nonextractive resource use
D)mariculture

Question 17

Second to petroleum and natural gas, the most profitable physical resource recovered from the marine environment is ____.

A)precious metals
B)diamonds
C)sand and gravel
D)coal

Question 18

An example of a nonextractive resource provided by the ocean is ____.

A)transportation
B)crabs
C)oil
D)manganese nodules

Question 19

The largest known reservoir of hydrocarbons on Earth is ____.

A)oil
B)coal
C)petroleum
D)methane hydrate

Question 20

Physical resources that are extracted from the ocean and are useful to humans include ____.

A)fish
B)petroleum and natural gas
C)heat derived from the motion of the ocean
D)compounds used for medicine

Question 21

Generally speaking, a spill of crude oil is more dangerous to marine life than a spill of refined oil.

Question 22

The fishing industry is careful to conserve fisheries and not exceed the maximum sustainable yield.

Question 23

Though desalination is a theoretically attractive method for obtaining fresh water from seawater, no large commercial facilities for desalination exist.

Question 24

We have used more natural resources since 1955 than in all of recorded human history up to that time.

Question 25

In some ways, an overambitious cleanup of a crude oil spill can be counterproductive.

Question 26

Whaling has effectively ceased. Except for a small and relatively insignificant number of "pirate whalers," the taking of whales for profit is a thing of the past.

Question 27

Increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide causes Earth's climate to warm by strengthening ____.

A)primary productivity
B)the greenhouse effect
C)ocean currents
D)incoming sunlight

Question 28

The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere today is higher than it has been in at least 400,000 years.

Question 29

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration advises women of childbearing age and children to completely avoid some kinds of fish because of ____ contamination.

A)bacterial
B)mercury
C)petroleum
D)plastics

Question 30

In addition to melting of glacial ice, why does sea level rise in a warming world?

A)Seawater expands slightly as it warms.
B)Currents shift to push water onto coastlines.
C)Rainfall increases over the ocean.
D)Land that had been covered by glacial ice floods.

Question 31

What happens in the example of the "Tragedy of the Commons"?

A)A shared resource is depleted by individuals who maximize their own gains.
B)An abundant resource is lost because it is not very valuable.
C)Individuals are not allowed to use a public resource.
D)One person ruins a shared resource by refusing to cooperate.

Question 32

Crude oil is biodegradable.

Question 33

If it weren't for the greenhouse effect, Earth's average atmospheric temperature would be ____.

A)below the freezing point of water
B)a couple degrees cooler than it is today
C)about the same as it is today
D)above the boiling point of water

Question 34

What property of plastic enables it to accumulate in ocean gyres?

A)It releases toxins as it decays.
B)It absorbs carbon dioxide before photosynthetic organisms can get any.
C)It blocks sunlight from penetrating into the ocean.
D)It isn't biodegradable.

Question 35

Why can introduced species be problematic?

A)They sometimes outcompete native species and reduce biological diversity.
B)They consistently find it difficult to survive.
C)They can reduce demand for native seafood.
D)They often produce toxins dangerous to humans.

Question 36

What is the purpose of marine protected areas?

A)To reduce erosion of the seafloor
B)To provide safe havens for marine life
C)To shield the shoreline from crashing waves
D)To designate zones for recreation and tourism

Question 37

How is sea ice in the Arctic Ocean responding to global warming?

A)It is shrinking significantly.
B)It has not yet responded, but may in the future.
C)It has disappeared completely.
D)It has grown slightly because of the cold water released by melting ice in Greenland.

Question 38

Pollutants can have negative influences on organisms by interfering with biochemical processes.

Question 39

Seawater is an important source of table salt.

Question 40

The process by which toxic substances can be concentrated in the flesh of organisms at higher trophic levels is called ____.

A)biomagnification
B)natural selection
C)trophic concentration
D)consumer distillation

Question 41

Why can nutrients be considered pollutants in some situations?

Question 42

With a human population of over 7 billion, what is the importance of understanding the maximum sustainable yields of fisheries?

Question 43

Analysis of some areas that were affected by oil spills have shown that cleaned areas were in worse shape than areas left alone. How can this be and what do these studies tell us about the way we approach oil spills?

Question 44

Explain how human emissions of carbon dioxide cause Earth's climate to warm.

Question 45

Currently, what are the main sources of marine pollution? How can these be reduced or eradicated in the future?