Marine Bio Exam 1 Questions and Answers |Complete Solutions Graded A+|100% Correct
Surface Layer, Intermediate Layer, Deep Layer The upper layer of water that is mixed by
wind, waves, and currents
Of the three main layers of the ocean, the one below the surface, or mixed, layer. It includes
the main thermocline
The deepest and coldest of the three layers of the ocean
Downwelling The sinking of surface water that is denser than underlying water layers.
Thermohaline Circulation Ocean circulation that is driven by differences in water density,
due to variations in water temperature and salinity, rather than by the wind or tides.
Great Ocean Conveyor A global circulation pattern in which water cycles throughout the
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.
, 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? 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.
Surface Layer, Intermediate Layer, Deep Layer The upper layer of water that is mixed by
wind, waves, and currents
Of the three main layers of the ocean, the one below the surface, or mixed, layer. It includes
the main thermocline
The deepest and coldest of the three layers of the ocean
Downwelling The sinking of surface water that is denser than underlying water layers.
Thermohaline Circulation Ocean circulation that is driven by differences in water density,
due to variations in water temperature and salinity, rather than by the wind or tides.
Great Ocean Conveyor A global circulation pattern in which water cycles throughout the
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.
, 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? 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.
