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.

11.

Assertion (A): Freshening of the North Atlantic could weaken the overturning circulation.
Reason (R): Deep water formation depends on the surface water being dense enough to sink.

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

Answer: C

Both are true and the reason gives the mechanism, and this is one of the more discussed potential consequences of ice sheet melt in a warming climate. Density is the whole of the mechanism. Sinking requires water dense enough to descend.

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12.

The ocean and atmosphere exchange heat mainly through

A.conduction through the deep sea floor
B.the action of the ocean tides
C.chemical reaction at depth
D.evaporation, sensible heat and radiation

Answer: D

Evaporation is much the largest term over most of the ocean, and it links the heat and water cycles together. The exchange is concentrated in the thin surface layer where the two fluids meet. Latent heat is the largest term.

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13.

The ocean holds roughly a thousand times the heat capacity of the atmosphere per unit area. What does this imply for their response times?

A.the ocean responds far more slowly
B.the ocean responds far more quickly
C.both respond equally fast
D.neither responds at all

Answer: A

A large heat capacity means a large amount of energy is needed to change the temperature, so the response is slow. This is why the ocean sets the timescale of much climate variability. Heat capacity governs the response time.

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14.

State whether the following is true or false.
Sea surface temperature anomalies can persist for many months.

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

Answer: B

The heat capacity of the mixed layer gives the ocean a memory that the atmosphere lacks. This persistence is what makes seasonal forecasting possible at all. The mixed layer holds the memory. Anomalies can last many months at a time.

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15.

Assertion (A): Seasonal climate forecasting relies on the persistence of sea surface temperature anomalies.
Reason (R): The ocean retains an anomaly for months while the atmosphere forgets its state within a fortnight.

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

Answer: C

Correct answer: Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A

Both are true and the reason gives the basis of the practice. The atmosphere loses memory of its state within about a fortnight, which is why weather forecasts have that horizon. The ocean’s enormous heat capacity holds a temperature anomaly for months, and because it forces the atmosphere above it, that persistence is the only source of skill a seasonal forecast has.

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16.

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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17.

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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18.

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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19.

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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20.

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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