Exam Questions Ch15 Restless Realm Oceans and Coasts

CHAPTER 15: Restless Realm: Oceans and Coasts

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

15A. Describe how ocean depth, temperature, and salinity correlate.

15B. Explain how tectonic processes produce bathymetric features of the seafloor.

15C. Describe the nature and causes of surface currents and deep currents.

15D. Relate the behavior of tides to the forces that cause tides.

15E. Discuss how waves form, and how they change as they approach the shore.

15F. Differentiate among the great variety of different coastal landforms, and explain how they develop and evolve.

15G. Explain how changes in sea level, wave erosion, and human activities affect the coast.

MULTIPLE CHOICE

1. Approximately what percentage of the Earth’s surface is covered with ocean water?

2. The geographic variation in depth to the ocean floor is termed ________.

3. Compared with the continental lithosphere, the oceanic lithosphere ________.

4. Compared with the continental crust, the oceanic crust is ________.

5. The shallowest portions of an ocean found along the margins of continents are the ________.

6. Which feature of the seafloor is a tectonic plate boundary?

7. Using the figure below, which of the following lists correctly identifies the seafloor landforms G, C, and F?

8. Near which feature on the seafloor would you be most likely to find fracture zones characterized by oceanic transform faults?

9. In which tectonic settings are broad, shallow continental shelves most likely to be found?

10. At the equatorial ocean basins, sea surface temperatures may reach 25°C or greater. What is the range of temperatures for the seafloor, approximately 45 km below the ocean’s surface?

11. What is the average percentage of dissolved salt in seawater?

12. Which of the following processes can increase the salinity of seawater?

13. What is the term for the sharp decrease in temperature in the ocean with depth from the surface common in tropical and subtropical oceans?

14. The picture below shows the two tidal bulges created in the oceans by the gravitational attraction of the Moon, from the perspective of looking down at the Earth from the North Pole. Where is low tide occurring in this picture?

15. The width of the intertidal zone depends on the __________.

16. In which type of shoreline are broad tidal mudflats most likely to occur?

17. How does tidal range vary among different coastlines around the globe?

18. Winds and the Coriolis Effect can cause deep, often nutrient-rich ocean water to rise to the surface in a process called

19. Major oceanic surface currents travel ________.

20. What is the term for the global-scale slow movement of ocean water masses, in which cold, salty surface water sinks to the seafloor and warm equatorial water moves toward the poles?

21. Because ocean currents carry heat, they play a large role in

22. Surface currents flow __________ in the Northern Hemisphere and __________ in the Southern Hemisphere.

23. The major surface currents on the Earth that display a circle-like path and follow the ocean basin margins are known as __________.

24. The size of waves in the open ocean depends on

25. In shallow water, waves become breakers because________________.

26. As waves approach the shore, they ________.

27. If a beach is in an east-west orientation and the waves are approaching the shore from the southwest, as shown in this figure, in which direction will the longshore current be moving?

28. In the figure below, which letters represent the wave’s crest and trough, respectively?

29. In the figure below, which letters represent the wave height and wavelength, respectively?

30. In the figure below, which way is the wave moving?

31. What is a beach?

32. Which of the following is the BEST example of an organic coast?

33. Which of the following features is characteristic of a rocky coast?

34. Beaches are constantly moving in the direction of ________.

35. A(n) __________ is a type of offshore sand bar that forms due to abundant sediment supply and sits above the mean high water level.

36. A coral reef would MOST likely be found

37. Swamps and marshes are examples of __________.

38. Because of wave refraction, erosion along an irregular coastline is ________.

39. When the sea level rises, an ocean may flood a former river valley, producing a nearshore body of water of mixed and variable salinity termed a(n) ________.

40. The long finger-like bays with deep water bounded by steep cliffs that characterize fjords were created by the erosive action of ___________.

41. A coast that grows seaward as a result of regular sedimentation is a(n) __________.

42. Which of the following scenarios is most likely to result in an emergent coast?

43. Which of the following can result in eustatic sea level rise?

44. Sediment supply cannot keep up with the rate at which waves and currents wash it away along a(n) ______ coast.

45. Structures—like jetties, groins, and breakwaters—that are designed to prevent beach erosion __________.

46. Along beaches, groins have ________.

47. Which of the following is true of beach nourishment as a solution to coastal erosion?

48. Global climate change is causing sea level rise around the globe. This is an example of ______ sea level rise.

49. The process of reef bleaching occurs when __________.

50. Tropical storms and cyclones can cause significant coastal flooding called ________ when winds push water onto shore and low pressure causes the sea surface to rise.

1. Label the landforms of ocean basins shown in the image below using the following word bank.

2. What is the average salinity of the oceans? By how much does ocean salinity vary? What factors are responsible for higher and lower salinity in different places? What are the main components of seawater salinity?

3. Describe how the temperature seawater changes with water depth in the ocean near the Equator and contrast this with changes in temperature near the Earth’s Poles.

4. Why do tides occur? What is the driving force and what factors contribute to this force? Why do most places experience two high tides and two low tides each day?

5. Describe how the motion of a moving body, such as an ocean current, is affected by the Coriolis Effect in the northern hemisphere, and how this creates mid-ocean gyres.

6. Draw a representation of the motion of an ocean wave in cross-section. Your illustration should include labels for the following: amplitude, wavelength, wave height, wave base, crest, trough, and directional arrows.

7. How is an erosional coast different from an accretionary coast?

8. Why is it a bad idea to build on barrier islands?

9. Contrast emergent and submergent coasts. List at least one reason why coasts may become emergent or submergent.

10. Describe one way humans have tried to mitigate beach erosion. What were the short-term and long-term results of this action?