Welcome to the Oceanography quiz!

This quiz is mainly based on the questions and facts listed on the main menu and is designed for prospective students.

Rules:To each question there might be more than one right answer. The quiz starts with the easy questions and finishes with the questions where you have to think a bit more. After you have answered as many questions as you can, check your answers at the end.

Q1:What are phytoplankton?

a) Microscopic animal life that floats freely in the sunlit surface waters;
b) Pollen floating freely in the lighted surface waters;
c) Microscopic plant life that floats freely in the sunlit surface waters;
d) Microscopic plant life that is found on the ocean's floor;

Q2: When we look at the ocean or observe it from space, we see that it is blue, because:

a) water absorbs red light and scatters blue light;
b) water scatters red light and absorbs blue light;
c) water scatters both red and blue light;

Q3:Heights of tsunami are reported in:

a) horizontal distances and reflect the amount of water travelling from one place to another;
b) vertical distances and reflect the amount of water rise above sea level;

Q4: Waves can travel in a direction, completely opposite to that of a current.

a) True
b) False

Q5: It has been found out that, regardless of the absolute concentration of the total solids, the ratios between the more abundant substances:

a) depends on the salinity of the oceanic water;
b) are virtually constant;
c) depends on the temperature of the oceanic water;

Q6:In terms of general rise in oceanic water temperature, the heat released at the mid-ocean ridges is:

a) very significant;
b) fairly significant;
c) insignificant;

Q7: The substances in seawater, which most affect the colour reflected are:

a) phytoplankton;
b) zooplankton;
c) salt;
d) trace metals;

Q8: The ocean circulation is:

a) asymmetrical, consisting of intense western boundary currents such as the Gulf Stream and weaker recirculating flows in the centres of the ocean basins;
b) asymmetrical, consisting of intense recirculating flows in the centres of the ocean basins and weaker currents such as the Gulf Stream;
c) symmetrical, consisting of intense recirculating flows in the centres of the ocean and strong currents such as the Gulf Stream;

Q9:Which statements are true?

a) When the salinity of the oceanic water increases, the density increases aswell;
b) When the temperature of the oceanic water increases, the density increases;
c) When the pressure in the ocean increases, the density decreases;

Q10:The pressure at 4000m. is approximately:

a) 4 bar*;
b) 40 bar;
c) 400 bar;

*(Atmospheric pressure is approximately 1 bar)

Answers!

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