Ocean Atmosphere Interaction Questions and Answers

Q: The ocean absorbs a substantial fraction of the carbon dioxide added to the atmosphere, which

Correct answer: lowers the pH of surface watersDissolved carbon dioxide forms carbonic acid, which dissociates and releases hydrogen ions, so the pH falls - by about 0.1 unit since pre-industrial times, which is a rise of roughly thirty per cent in hydrogen ion concentration. The same reaction consumes carbonate ion, making it harder for corals, molluscs and some plankton to build calcium carbonate structures.

Q: The mixed layer of the ocean is

Correct answer: the upper layer stirred by the windThe mixed layer is the surface layer kept nearly uniform in temperature and salinity by wind stirring and convection, from a few tens of metres in summer to several hundred in winter. Its depth matters greatly, since it sets how much water a given heat input must warm - a shallow summer mixed layer warms quickly, a deep winter one hardly at all. The thermocline lies immediately beneath it.

41.

The ocean absorbs a substantial fraction of the carbon dioxide added to the atmosphere, which

A.raises the pH of surface waters
B.has no chemical effect at all on them
C.converts it directly into oxygen
D.lowers the pH of surface waters

Answer: D

Correct answer: lowers the pH of surface waters

Dissolved carbon dioxide forms carbonic acid, which dissociates and releases hydrogen ions, so the pH falls - by about 0.1 unit since pre-industrial times, which is a rise of roughly thirty per cent in hydrogen ion concentration. The same reaction consumes carbonate ion, making it harder for corals, molluscs and some plankton to build calcium carbonate structures.

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42.

Consider the following statements about ocean uptake of carbon dioxide.
1. The ocean has taken up a large fraction of anthropogenic emissions.
2. The uptake acidifies the surface ocean.
3. The uptake capacity is unlimited.

A.1 and 2 only
B.3 only
C.1 only
D.All of them

Answer: A

The first two are correct. The third is wrong, since the capacity falls as the surface saturates and as warming reduces the solubility of the gas itself. Uptake has already acidified the surface. Capacity falls as the surface saturates.

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43.

All of the following affect the exchange of gas between ocean and atmosphere EXCEPT

A.the difference in partial pressure
B.the depth of the ocean beneath
C.the wind speed at the surface
D.the temperature of the water

Answer: B

Exchange happens at the surface and the depth beneath it is irrelevant to the rate. The other three are the three quantities that actually control the flux. Exchange happens at the surface. Depth beneath plays no part at all.

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44.

The mixed layer of the ocean is

A.the layer where the salinity is highest
B.the layer lying beneath the thermocline
C.the upper layer stirred by the wind
D.the deepest layer of the whole ocean

Answer: C

Correct answer: the upper layer stirred by the wind

The mixed layer is the surface layer kept nearly uniform in temperature and salinity by wind stirring and convection, from a few tens of metres in summer to several hundred in winter. Its depth matters greatly, since it sets how much water a given heat input must warm - a shallow summer mixed layer warms quickly, a deep winter one hardly at all. The thermocline lies immediately beneath it.

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45.

Assertion (A): The seasonal cycle of sea surface temperature is much smaller than that of land.
Reason (R): The mixed layer distributes the heat through a deep column of high heat capacity.

A.Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A
B.A is true but R is false
C.A is false but R is true
D.Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A

Answer: D

Both are true and the reason gives the mechanism, and the same fact underlies the small annual temperature range of maritime climates. Land by contrast is heated and cooled within a thin surface layer that responds within days.

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46.

Match each ocean atmosphere phenomenon with its timescale.
List I
A. Sea breeze
B. Seasonal thermocline
C. El Nino
D. Thermohaline overturning
List II
1. two to seven years
2. daily
3. many centuries
4. annual

A.A-2, B-4, C-1, D-3
B.A-4, B-2, C-1, D-3
C.A-2, B-4, C-3, D-1
D.A-3, B-1, C-4, D-2

Answer: A

The range of timescales is what makes ocean atmosphere coupling so rich, and each phenomenon requires a different kind of model. Mixing them up leads to expectations on entirely the wrong timescale. Coupling spans many timescales.

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47.

The thermocline is

A.a horizontal boundary between currents
B.a layer of rapid temperature decrease
C.a layer of constant temperature
D.the surface of the ocean itself

Answer: B

It separates the warm mixed layer from the cold deep water and acts as a barrier to vertical exchange. Its depth varies greatly with latitude and season. It separates warm surface from cold deep. Its strength varies with the season.

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48.

State whether the following is true or false.
The thermocline acts as a barrier to vertical mixing in the ocean.

A.True only at large scales
B.False only at small scales
C.True
D.False

Answer: C

The strong density gradient across it suppresses turbulence, which is why nutrients are trapped below and the surface is often depleted. Upwelling is what breaks through it and supports productivity. The density gradient suppresses turbulence.

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49.

Arrange the following ocean layers from the surface downwards.
1. the permanent thermocline
2. the wind mixed surface layer
3. the cold deep water
4. the seasonal thermocline

A.3 - 1 - 4 - 2
B.4 - 2 - 1 - 3
C.2 - 1 - 4 - 3
D.2 - 4 - 1 - 3

Answer: D

The seasonal thermocline forms and decays each year within the upper few hundred metres while the permanent one lies deeper and persists. Below them the deep water changes only over centuries. Two thermoclines lie above the deep water.

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50.

Sea surface temperature influences the atmosphere above it most directly by

A.controlling evaporation and latent heat
B.altering the Coriolis force locally
C.changing the atmospheric pressure directly
D.reflecting rather more sunlight

Answer: A

A warm ocean evaporates more and fuels deeper convection, which is why tropical cyclones need warm water. The pattern of sea surface temperature organises much of the tropical circulation. Warm water fuels deep convection.

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