Marine Bio Exam 1 Questions and Answers | Latest 2026 Update
Q: Great Ocean Conveyor A global circulation pattern in which water cycles
throughout the
Answer:
ocean basins
Wave Crest, Trough, Wavelength, Wave Height highest part of a wave
lowest part of a wave
horizontal distance between adjacent crests
Fetch The span of the sea surface over which the wind blows to form wind-driven
waves
Seas, Swells, Surf A wave that has a sharp peak and a relatively flat wave trough.
Seas are
found in areas where waves are generated by the wind
A wave with a flatter, rounded wave crest and trough. Swells are found away from
the area
where waves are generated by the wind
A wave that becomes so high and steep as it approaches the shoreline that it breaks.
Tsunami Long, fast waves produced by earthquakes and other seismic disturbances
of the
sea floor.
, Q: High, Low, Spring, and Neap Tides highest level lowest level These are higher
tides than normal and are caused by the combined gravitational pull of the moon
and sun becoming "yoked together" in alignment. lowest of lows Semidiurnal,
Mixed Semidiurnal, and Diurnal Tidal Patterns A tidal pattern with two high and
two low tides each day A tidal pattern with two successive high tides of different
heights each day A tidal pattern with a high and a low tide each day What
factors create wind and influence wind patterns?
Answer:
What effect does this have on ocean currents? wind direction, Coriolis forces from
the Earth's rotation, and the position of landforms that interact with the currents. The
wind drives the strongest ocean currents, which occur in the surface layer. Both wind
and surface currents are ultimately driven by heat energy from the sun. Both surface
currents and the wind are also influenced by what is known as the Coriolis effect. In
which direction do the major ocean gyres rotate in the N hemisphere? In the S
hemisphere? How does the direction of flow of gyres influence sea temperatures at
different latitudes in coastal areas? The Coriolis effect makes storms swirl clockwise
in the Southern hemisphere and counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere. The
warm currents on the western sides of the gyres carry vast amounts of solar heat from
the Equator to higher latitudes. Cold currents flow in the opposite direction on the
eastern sides. Ocean currents thus act like a giant thermostat, warming the poles,
cooling the tropics, and regulating the climate of our planet. Why is the ocean usually
stratified into 3 main layers? What are they called? What is the main factor that
causes layering, and how does it change with latitude and with seasons in temperate
regions? Because densest water sinks, the ocean is usually layered or stratified into 3
main layers. Density largely controlled by temperature, hence the mirrored profiles.
Q: Great Ocean Conveyor A global circulation pattern in which water cycles
throughout the
Answer:
ocean basins
Wave Crest, Trough, Wavelength, Wave Height highest part of a wave
lowest part of a wave
horizontal distance between adjacent crests
Fetch The span of the sea surface over which the wind blows to form wind-driven
waves
Seas, Swells, Surf A wave that has a sharp peak and a relatively flat wave trough.
Seas are
found in areas where waves are generated by the wind
A wave with a flatter, rounded wave crest and trough. Swells are found away from
the area
where waves are generated by the wind
A wave that becomes so high and steep as it approaches the shoreline that it breaks.
Tsunami Long, fast waves produced by earthquakes and other seismic disturbances
of the
sea floor.
, Q: High, Low, Spring, and Neap Tides highest level lowest level These are higher
tides than normal and are caused by the combined gravitational pull of the moon
and sun becoming "yoked together" in alignment. lowest of lows Semidiurnal,
Mixed Semidiurnal, and Diurnal Tidal Patterns A tidal pattern with two high and
two low tides each day A tidal pattern with two successive high tides of different
heights each day A tidal pattern with a high and a low tide each day What
factors create wind and influence wind patterns?
Answer:
What effect does this have on ocean currents? wind direction, Coriolis forces from
the Earth's rotation, and the position of landforms that interact with the currents. The
wind drives the strongest ocean currents, which occur in the surface layer. Both wind
and surface currents are ultimately driven by heat energy from the sun. Both surface
currents and the wind are also influenced by what is known as the Coriolis effect. In
which direction do the major ocean gyres rotate in the N hemisphere? In the S
hemisphere? How does the direction of flow of gyres influence sea temperatures at
different latitudes in coastal areas? The Coriolis effect makes storms swirl clockwise
in the Southern hemisphere and counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere. The
warm currents on the western sides of the gyres carry vast amounts of solar heat from
the Equator to higher latitudes. Cold currents flow in the opposite direction on the
eastern sides. Ocean currents thus act like a giant thermostat, warming the poles,
cooling the tropics, and regulating the climate of our planet. Why is the ocean usually
stratified into 3 main layers? What are they called? What is the main factor that
causes layering, and how does it change with latitude and with seasons in temperate
regions? Because densest water sinks, the ocean is usually layered or stratified into 3
main layers. Density largely controlled by temperature, hence the mirrored profiles.
