The compensation depth of phytoplankton in the ocean is often assumed to coincide with light levels that are about _____ of those at the surface.
25%
1%
10%
8%
Net Primary Productivity is the amount of _________ fixed by photosynthesis that exceeds the respiration needs of a plant and goes into growth
Glucose
Cellulose
Carbon
Oxygen
Compounds the contain Nitrogen, Silicon, and Phosphorous are called?
Piconutrients
Macronutrients
Supernutrients
Micronutrients
What are the chemical substances that plants need to live, but only in very small quantities?
Nutrients are regenerated in the ocean by
Oxidation
Respiration
Bacterial decomposition
Photosynthesis
The most productive areas of the ocean are characterized by
warm waters
eddies
upwelling
stagnant waters
Near surface waters off Peru are typically ____
Cold and nutrient rich
Cold and nutrient poor
Warm and nutrient rich
Warm and nutrient poor
In an El Nino year, the near surface waters off Peru become ____
Biological productivity in polar seas tends to be limited by
Nitrate availability
Temperature levels
Solar energy
Tropical waters are very clear and blue because of
The absence of plant cells in the water
Lower salt content of the waters
The ability to reflect the sky better than cold waters
A triangular deposit of sediment at the mouth of a river is called a/an ___
Offshore bar
Distributary
Salt Marsh
Delta
The delta plain is drained by a system of channels called _____
Tributaries
Sills
Dikes
Distributaries
Which of the following lists of materials is listed in increasing order of resistance to erosion?
Unconsolidated Sediment, Shale, Limestone, Granite
Shale, Unconsolidated Sediment, Limestone, Granite
Limestone, Unconsolidated Sediment, Granite, Shale
Shale, Limestone, Unconsolidated Sediment, Granite
A __________ delta is one where waves and tides are ineffective in rearranging river deposits
River-Dominated
Wave-Dominated
Tide Dominated
The structure that is built to prevent or diminish sediment deposition at the mouth of a harbor is called a
Jetty
Spit
Pier
Seawall
Groin
Structures that are built along eroding beaches to trap sand and artificially promote accretion are called ___
Spits
Jetties
Seawalls
Piers
Groins
The structure that is built in front of harbors or shorelines to redirect wave energy away from the shoreline is a _____
Breakwater
Structures that are built on shore, on the assumption that they protect beaches, roads, and bluffs, from erosion are called _____
Breakwaters
Beach nourishment relies on sand ____
Dredged from offshore
Deposited by currents
Quarried on land
Both B and C
Both A and C
Which of the following was NOT a contributing factor of the devastation of Hurrricane Katrina in New Orleans?
The land on which the city stands is sinking
Sea level is rising
The city's pump stations, levees, and flood walls were not strong enough
All of the above were contributing factors
None of the above were contributing factors
In rock form, the calcium carbonate of a coral reef is called ____
Siltstone
Limestone
Shale
Sandstone
The coral animal is called a/an
Amoeba
Polyp
Corallite
Anemone
The calcium carbonate exoskeleton of a coral animal is called a/an ____
Theca
Sheath
Hypotheca
The algae living in the tissue of coral animals is called ____
Chrysophytes
Zooxanthellae
Thallasia
Rodophytes
The most accurate term for the relationship between coral and zooxanthellae is ____
Commensalism
Parasitism
Symbiosis
Mutualism
Coral reefs require water temps of at least ___ degrees
5
15
20
at least seven
Brain coral is well adapted to live on what section of the reef?
Buttress Zone
Reef Terrace
Patch reef
Algal ridge
Reefs which form limestone shores around islands and the tropical areas of continents are called ___
Reef Flats
Fringing reefs
Atolls
Barrier reefs
Reefs that are separated from land by a lagoon are called ____
Reef flats
Circular reefs surrounding a central lagoon are called _____
On average, the efficiency of trophic transfers is ______
10 %
30%
50%
75%
Primary producers are called _____
Heterotrophs
Autotrophs
Mesotrophs
Plants
Which of the following are primary producers?
Herbivores
Omnivores
Decomposers
What would be found at the third trophic level or higher?
Carnivores
Detritus Feeders
A food web consists of a system of interconnected _____
Animal Species
Plant Species
Currents
Food Chains
Bacteria would generally be listed as ______
Which of the following is typically a grazer?
Shark
Barnacles
Copepod
Coral Polyp
The size of the population of any organism is usually a direct function of its _____ supply
Carbon Dioxide
Food
Habitat
Bacteria which can live without free oxygen are called what?
Oxidized
Anaerobic
Aerobic
Which of the following is a primary factor limiting plant growth?
Nutrient concentrations
Upwelling and turbulence
Turbidity
Grazing intensity
The two elements that typically limit productivity of ecosystems are Nitrogen and what?
Phosphorous
Sodium
Iron
Productivity in tropical oceans is
Oxygen-limited
Light-limited
Nutrient-limited
light and nutrient-limited
Productivity in polar oceans is
Oxygen limited
Light limited
Nutrient limited
Light and Nutrient limited
Which regions produce the majority of the world's fish?
embayment; coastal
coastal; downwelling
coastal; upwelling
polar; downwelling
Tropical oceans are infertile because the ___ of the region inhibits mixing of the water column
Permanent thermocline
Permanent halocline
Permanent pycnocline
High rainfall
The spring diatom bloom of temperate ocean waters occurs in response to increasing levels of what?
Nutrients
Cool water
Light
Upwelling
The waters adjacent to Peru are an area of coastal what?
Downwelling
Turbulence
The eastern South Pacific normally experiences
Low P and wet weather
Low P and dry weather
High P and wet weather
High P and dry weather
The western South Pacific normally experiences
Weakening of winds, Cessation of Upwelling off Peru, and rain in western S. America signify
Normal conditions
El Nino conditions
La Nina conditions
Intensified trade winds, Strong upwelling off Peru, and cool water temps across the pacific signify
Most of the energy that reshapes beaches comes from
Tidal action
Sea level changes
Storm surges
Breaking waves
Currents in the surf zone that flow parallel to shore are called
Rip
Longshore
Nearshore
Refraction
The open water seaward of the breaker zone is called
Offshore zone
Swash zone
Backshore zone
Surf zone
A submarine deposit of sand that is parallel to the shore is called
Berm
Washover fan
Longshore bar
A beach profile characterized by a broad berm and a steep beach face is called a/an
Fjord
Estuary
Storm
Swell
During a storm, the average grain size of sand on a beach _____
Increases
Decreases
Stays the same
Sand input to a beach can be caused by
Rip currents
Cliff erosion
River input
Both cliff erosion and river input
Sand removal is caused by
Longshore transport
Wind erosion
Longshore transport and Cliff erosion
Sand is permanently lost off of Southern California by being transported to
Deep sea trenches
Hydrothermal vents
Submarine canyons
Mexico
The most important role of sand dune vegetation is
Photosynthesis, provide food for beach grazers
Bring water nearer to surface via roots
Stabilize the sand dunes
Provide microhabitats for small organisms