Physical Oceanography Exam 1: Circulation KEY

Aquatic Science/Earth-Space Science

1. What is one thing that ocean currents do NOT do?

A. Moderate climateB. Transport pollutantsC. Form tsunamisD. Influence the diversity of life in the ocean

2. The Global Ocean Conveyor Belt is caused by differences in…

A. Water temperatureB. Dissolved oxygen contentC. Ocean SalinityD. All of the aboveE. None of the above

3. This picture, taken during the 2011-2012 Volvo Ocean Race, took place in the Southern Ocean. What wind was creating these

massive waves?

A. Trade WindsB. Horse LatitudesC. DoldrumsD. Roaring FortiesE. Polar Easterlies

4. What would be the net direction of water in the North Pacific if the wind direction is coming from 45°?

A. 0°B. 90°C. 135°D. 225°E. 315°

5. What creates garbage patches in the middle of the oceans?

A. Waves B. TidesC. Surface Ocean Currents & GyresD. Thermohaline Conveyor BeltE. Longshore Currents

6. Which picture is showing an El Nino? (refer to the key for what the colors mean.)

A

B D.

7. Which elements are more common percentagewise in the ocean than in the atmosphere? (Mark all that apply)

A. Ar; B. O; C. C; D. N

gas molecule

% in atmosphere

% in surface seawater

ml/litre sea water

mg/kg (ppm) in sea water

molecular weight

mmol/ kg

Nitrogen N2 78% 47.5% 10 12.5 28.014 0.446

Oxygen O2 21% 36.0% 5 7 31.998 0.219

Carbon dioxide CO2

0.03% 15.1% 40 90 * 42.009 2.142

Argon 1% 1.4% . 0.4 39.948 0.01

8. Why is the Antarctic Circumpolar Current so powerful?

A. It is so coldB. It is so denseC. It’s extremely

nutrient-richD. It has no land to get

in the way

9. Where does water sink to form the Thermohaline Conveyor Belt?

A.

B

C

D

10. If Crush and Squirt ride the EAC, what ocean are they in?

A. AtlanticB. ArcticC. IndianD. PacificE. Southern

11 – 14. Match the desert with the upwelling that forms it.

11. Atacama12. Sahara13. Namib14. Sonoran

A. BenguelaB. CaliforniaC. CanaryD. Peru

15. Within two months of the BP oil disaster in April 2010, what current took the Deepwater Horizon’s oil back to British shores?

A. BenguelaB. CanaryC. Gulf StreamD. Prevailing WesterliesE. Labrador

16. Over the last several years, Arctic sea ice has recently …

A. … been decreasingB. …been increasingC. …remained constant

Match the surface current with the prevailing wind that drives it.

17. Gulf Stream18. Brazil Current19. Antarctic Circumpolar20. Equatorial

Countercurrents

A. Prevailing WesterliesB. Roaring FortiesC. Trade WindsD. Doldrums

21.In the Indian Ocean north of the equator, the driving climate force is a current that changes direction annually. What is this phenomenon called?

A. AgulhasB. BenguelaC. El NinoD. Monsoon

22. What kind of ocean current would be most likely to cause an upwelling like this?

A. Ekman Spiral B. Eastern Boundary

CurrentC. Western

Boundary CurrentD. Drift CurrentE. Longshore

Current

23-25. Identify the following on the map…

23. Furious Fifties; 24. Horse Latitudes; 25. ITCZ.

C.

A.

D

B.

26. Where might the best fishing be? C

A

B

C

D

E

27. What was the Younger Dryas, how did it start, and how did it affect climate?

A. It was a glacier that formed in Texas, bringing about another Ice Age.

B. It was started by a massive flood from a broken ice dam, that damaged the thermohaline conveyor belt by emptying way too much freshwater into the North Atlantic, causing another ice age.

C. It was a warming period named after the butterflies that were abundant during this period, then went extinct.

D. It was a strengthening of the thermohaline conveyor belt that caused intense global warming.

28. This could soon be a typical scene for much of Europe, due to …

A. El NiñoB. La NiñaC. Breakdown in the

Gulf Stream D. Reinforcement of

the Gulf Stream

29. Believe it or not, it snows in Brazil! If coastal blizzards are the result of collision between 2 opposing ocean currents, what two ocean currents would manufacture the

white stuff in this part of the world?

A. Agulhas & MozambiqueB. Brazil & MalvinasC. Labrador & Gulf StreamD. Doldrums & Roaring

FortiesE. Ekman & Equatorial

Counter

30. Which letter indicates the presence of the Gulf Stream?

A

B

C

D

E

31. During leg 5 of the 2011/2012 Volvo Ocean Race, with their latitude at 55°S, what wind propelled Teams Telefonica, Puma, and Groupama in their battle for first place?

A. Polar EasterliesB. Furious Fifties C. Southeast TradesD. ITCZ

32. Read this, then answer the question.

An extreme negative phase of the Arctic Oscillation (AO) characterized winter 2009/2010, leading to a strong Beaufort Gyre, a weak Transpolar Drift Stream (TDS), and near normal ice flow out of Fram Strait. In term of impacts on ice transport, autumn and winter of 2009/2010 saw above-average ice transport from north of the Canadian Archipelago westward into the eastern Beaufort and western Chukchi seas.. Ice originating from this location is some of the oldest and thickest in the Arctic. Typically, ice that forms within, or drifts into, the Beaufort Gyre may circulate within the Canada Basin for several years, becoming thicker with time. Eventually, the thick ice enters the TDS and exits the Arctic through Fram Strait. A stronger Beaufort Gyre, as tends to accompany the negative phase of the AO, should therefore foster the development of older, thicker ice that survives summer melt, meaning more ice in September.

32. With the Arctic Oscillation currently now in a positive phase, which ocean current is stronger?

A. Beaufort GyreB. Transpolar DriftC. West Wind DriftD. Malvinas

33. Which letter indicates the presence of the Alaska Current? C

A.

B.

C.

D.

34. Being at 30°N latitude, we are on __________, an area of light winds, high pressure and overall dry conditions.

A. The Polar FrontB. The Horse LatitudesC. Tornado AlleyD. The Doldrums

35. Our local warm humid climate is almost unique for our latitude; only one other area in the northern hemisphere has it. Which area is

that? A

A. B. C. D.

36. Our local climate is almost unique for our latitude; only one other area in the hemisphere has it. What is the cause for our having such a

humid climate? (see next frame)

36. Answer Choices

A. Cold Ocean CurrentB. Gulf StreamC. Thermohaline upwellingD. Warm Gulf Loop CurrentE. Ekman Transport

37. In Ice Age: the Meltdown, Sid, Manny & Diego uncover an impending disaster. The actual event this is based on is…

A. The Nebraska Glaciation Event

B. The Eruption of Mt. Mazama

C. The Flooding of Beringia

D. The formation of North America’s Great Lakes

E. The Younger Dryas

38-43. Place the following events in proper sequential order.

A. Gulf stream is forced further south. - 42

B. North Atlantic becomes fresher. - 40

C. Ice caps melt - 39D. Europe enters into a new “ice

age”. - 43E. Carbon emissions warm the

planet. - 38AB. Thermohaline circulation

breaks down. - 41

44. Which ocean is saltiest?45. Which ocean is warmest?

A. AtlanticB. ArcticC. IndianD. PacificE. Southern

46. Read the article, then answer the question in the following frame.

Using Aquaculture to Remove Atmospheric Carbon

"We Provide innovative solutions to remove or absorb atmospheric CO2"

The most commonly talked about carbon sink is forest. The use of trees as a carbon sink has been extensively studied and theorized. There has already been progress on both the creation of treaties (e.g. the Kyoto Protocol) relating to the use of this resource and trading of credits earned. However, another important carbon sink, one that is perhaps less well known, is the ocean. The way the ocean works as a sink is CO2 dissolves into it, removing it from the atmosphere. The concentration of CO2 in the ocean increases proportionately as atmospheric CO2 increases. The ocean acts as a carbon reservoir. However, as with other reservoirs, the carbon can eventually find its way back into the ecosystem. Our company is focused on ways to permanently remove this carbon from the environment. Such permanent removal is called sequestration.

One way in which carbon can be permanently removed is through aquaculture. How this works is sea water (and fresh water) containing dissolved CO2 is ingested and used by shellfish and crustaceans. This CO2 is converted within the shellfish and crustaceans, and, with the addition of other elements becomes CaCO3, the major component of the shell and exoskeleton. The exciting thing about this is that carbon sequestered in this way stays “locked up” and is effectively removed from the environment indefinitely as shells do not break down.

This is in stark contrast to carbon in forests, as although the carbon is “sunk” into this ecosystem for some time, it is not permanently sequestered from the environment. For example, a tree absorbs CO2. However, if this tree is burnt the carbon absorbed as CO2 is released back into the atmosphere.

Aquaculture farming systems and by-products can therefore be developed with the incentive of earning carbon credits.

Some example systems include:

1. Shellfish can be cultivated to increase the carbon absorption ability of the sea and fresh water. As dissolved CO2 is absorbed into the shellfish the ocean, rivers andlakes are able to absorb more CO2 from the atmosphere. Thus, the more shellfish that are cultivated the greater is the ability of our oceans, rivers and fresh water lakes to act as carbon sinks. In addition, the carbon dissolved into the sea andfresh water can be permanently removed, as it is sequestered into shells,

2. The meat produced from the aquaculture would be an important food source forboth humans and animals. Carbon ingested by those eating the shellfish will beconverted and stored as skeletal carbon. It can also be converted into vegetativecarbon through use as fertiliser for plant and tree growth. A positive side effect ofthis aquaculture is the environmental detoxification that occurs, as shellfishprovide a natural filtration system for the sea and fresh water.

3. Bio-ethanol and bio-diesel could be produced from the shellfish meat providinganother source of renewable eco friendly energy for commercial use.

4. The shells themselves also have a number of uses. They can be used in roading,help with insulation heating of viticulture (the crushed shells insulate the roots ofthe grape vines and absorb heat from the sun which is later reflected back towardsthe grapes), be used in path and track formation and so on.

Aquaculture Carbon Limited have sought a patent in relation to the right to trade carbon as permanently sequestered CaCO3 and is actively promoting the development of Aquaculture farming systems and the resulting carbon trading system.

46. From the reading in the previous frame, what do Ca ions do to sequester C?

A. They split ozone (O3) molecules.

B. They bond with carbonate (CO3) ions.

C. They bind up atmospheric Argon (Ar). D. They lower radiation levels. E. They bond with heavy metals.

47.What ocean will the 2014/2015 Volvo Ocean Race NOT traverse?

A. ArcticB. AtlanticC. Indian D. PacificE. Southern

Illustrated is an Ekman Spiral. 48. Where is the slowest moving water? A

49. What is slowing down the water?

A

C

B

D

E

A. GravityB. BuoyancyC. FrictionD. SalinityE. Coriolis Effect

50. What is being shown?

A. A pycnoclineB. A thermoclineC. A garbage patch D. A hypoxic zoneE. A halocline