Study Guide #2

About 1/3 of these questions will be on the exam.

Short Answer. You should be able to answer these questions with two or three sentences. Some questions (as noted) can be answered most easily with a drawing or diagram. Be sure to LABEL the important parts of your diagram.

When I use the words "How", "Why" or "Describe" or "Discuss" in a question, I am looking for something more than a single word or short phrase as an answer.   Most answers will require several sentences for full credit, because when you write several sentences I can tell whether you actually understand the answer, in addition to knowing what terms to use in your answer.   

1. Why are oxygen concentrations higher in ocean surface waters and lower in the deep ocean?
   
   
2. Why are carbon dioxide concentrations lower in ocean surface waters and higher in the deep ocean?
   
   
3. Why is the salinity of ocean water greater near 30° N than it is near 60° N latitude?
   
   
4. List two processes that increase the salinity of seawater, and two processes that decrease the salinity of seawater.
   
   
5. List two properties of water that affect water density, and, for each, indicate whether density would increase or decrease if that property increased.
   
   
6. Define the terms thermocline and isotherm, and pycnocline and isopycnal.
   
   
7. What condition exists when a water column is unstable? Briefly describe one way in which a water column can become unstable.
   
   
8. Define thermohaline circulation.
   
   
9. In which regions of the ocean do deep and bottom waters form? Why is the formation of deep and bottom waters confined to these regions?
   
   
10. A hypothesis has been proposed that states there is a link between the climate of northern North America and Europe (especially ice ages) and the rate of formation of North Atlantic Deep Water. How could North Atlantic Deep Water formation rates affect climate?
    
    
11. Oceanographers say that the deep and bottom waters of the North Pacific Ocean are "old". Why are these waters said to be old?
    
    
12. Define the term water mass.
    
    
13. Explain why a parcel of air which was originally moving directly northward from the equator is displaced to the east, so that it travels to the northeast of its original position. (Note that it is not sufficient to name the effect responsible; you must explain what causes this effect.)
    
    
14. Unusually large amounts of rainfall occur near the equator. Why?
    
    
15. Between the equator and 30° N, the winds generally blow from the northeast (the Northeast Trade Winds). How do atmospheric convection and the Earth's rotation produce this wind pattern? A diagram may be helpful in answering this question.
    
    
16. Between 30°S and 60°S latitude, the winds generally blow from the northwest (the Westerlies; this wind band includes the "Roaring Forties" and "Furious Fifties" of sailors' lore). How do atmospheric convection and the Earth's rotation produce this wind pattern? A diagram may be helpful in answering this question.
    
    
17. Why is low atmospheric pressure generally found over the oceans of the Northern Hemisphere in winter?
    
    
18. Why do winds in the Northern Hemisphere generally blow counterclockwise around low pressure areas? A diagram may be helpful in answering this question.
    
    
19. What causes the wet, or summer, monsoon found along the west coast of India? How is this related to the onshore breeze that often occurs in coastal areas during the afternoon?
    
    
20. Although El Niño was first noted along the west coast of South America, it is actually a global phenomenon. What are 3 unusual ocean or weather conditions associated with El Niño, either in the eastern tropical Pacific or elsewhere?
    
    
21. Why do hurricanes form only in the tropics?
    
    
22. What is the Ekman Spiral? How is it related to Ekman Transport? (A diagram may be helpful in answering this question.)
    
    
23. How does Ekman Transport cause coastal upwelling? (A diagram may be helpful in answering this question.)
    
    
24. What is an ocean gyre?
    
    
25. What are eddies? How do they form?
    
    
26. Define the terms divergence, convergence, upwelling, and downwelling.
27. List the generating force and the restoring force for the following types of waves: capillary waves, sea swell, tsunami.
28. Draw a vertical cross section of a deep water wave. Indicate the direction and pattern of water motion, any variation with depth in this motion, and the direction of wave motion.
29. Why does sea swell consist of a series of long-period waves, which all have about the same period?
30. List three changes that occur in a wave as it moves into shallow water. Why do these changes occur?
31. What causes the storm surges, which are often associated with hurricanes and other severe storms?
32. What should you do if you are walking on an ocean beach and you feel a strong earthquake? Why?
33. You have just watched a tsunami destroy your house; luckily you were watching from the top of a high hill, so you are uninjured. Should you immediately run down to your house to try to retrieve the $10,000 worth of Grandma's jewelry which was stored in the basement? Why or why not?
34. What are the forces responsible for generating tides?
35. What do the terms neap tide, spring tide, diurnal tide, and semidiurnal tide mean?
36. What is a rotary standing tide wave?
37. Draw a diagram which shows how waves in the surf zone produce a longshore transport of sediment.
38. Describe two human actions that could increase beach erosion.

 

Essay questions, usually require answers of about 10 sentences in length.   Again, I am looking for indications that you understand the concepts, in addition to knowing the key terms.   Be sure to answer all parts of the questions that you choose.



39. Describe the changes in water density in the upper ocean layer over the annual cycles at tropical, temperate, and polar latitudes and the corresponding changes in water temperature. Indicate at which times of year, in each region, that the water column is unstable and mixing with underlying water occurs. Diagrams may make this easier.
    
    
40. Describe the circulation of the Atlantic Ocean below 1000 m depth. Discuss the sites of formation of water masses, how they form (e.g., cooling at the ocean surface, mixing of other water masses), and their paths of flow. Include the following water masses in your answer: North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW), Antarctic Intermediate Water (AAIW), Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW), and Mediterranean Water (MW).
    
    
41. From 0° to 30° N latitude, the Northeast trade winds blow from the northeast; between 30° and 60° N latitude, the Westerlies blow from the southwest. Explain how this wind pattern, in along with the Earth’s rotation, causes the clockwise flow of currents circling the North Pacific Ocean, the North Pacific Gyre.
    
    
42. Describe the equilibrium model (or theory) of tides. Include in your answer a description of the tide-generating forces and how they vary with time; an explanation of why there are usually two high and two low tides per day; and an explanation of why there are usually two neap tides and two spring tides each month.
    
    
43. Global warming will increase sea level in two ways. Briefly describe each. Also, describe 3 negative consequences of increasing sea level. Include in your answer specific examples of coastal areas that are especially vulnerable to the negative consequences you cite.

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