Intro to oceans - Hilary online test compilation B

?

1. Which of the following statements about coccolithophores is FALSE?

  • When the algal cell dies, the coccosphere disintegrates easily, releasing the individual plates, the coccoliths, into suspension.
  • The white cliffs of Dover are formed of chalk that is mostly comprised of coccoliths
  • Coccolithophores envelope themselves in coccoliths to form coccospheres.
  • Coccoliths are made up of minute plates of calcite usually less then 10 centimeters in size
1 of 12

Other questions in this quiz

2. If a sediment's contents is 55% opaline silica, what is the sediment commonly termed

  • Pteropod ooze
  • Siliceous Ooze
  • Calcareous ooze
  • Pelagic Clay

3. What is the main reason why water sinking in polar regions has a high oxygen concentration?

  • Mainly because the water is very cold and so the solubility of oxygen is enhanced
  • Mainly because phytoplankton abundance is very high in polar regions and so oxygen is supersaturated due to photosynthesis
  • Mainly because the waters in polar regions have a lower salinity than the rest of the ocean
  • Mainly because oxygen is more dense than any other gas, causing the water to sink

4. Which of the following statements is FALSE?

  • A constituent with an oceanic residence time of 100 years will be uniformly mixed throughout the oceans.
  • The major ions in seawater have a residence time longer than average ocean mixing time.
  • The residence time of an element in seawater can be estimated by dividing its mass in the ocean by its annual input from rivers
  • That the chemical composition of the oceans is in steady state means that the rate of addition of dissolved constituents to seawater is balanced by their rate of removal, so that their concentrations do not change significantly with time.

5. Which ion is a major constituent of seawater?

  • Phosphorus
  • Iron
  • Magnesium
  • Zinc

Comments

No comments have yet been made

Similar Marine Science resources:

See all Marine Science resources »See all Biogeochemistry resources »