Oceanography Learning Objectives and Study Questions
Chapter 4: Sverdrup and Kudela, 1st ed.
1. Sketch a water molecule showing the locations and charges of the H and O atoms.
2. Knowing the heats of fusion and vaporization of water as well as its specific heat (80 cal/g, 540 cal/g, and 1
cal/g/C, respectively) calculate the amount of energy required to freeze, warm, or boil a given mass of water.
3. Referring to a graph of the densities of fresh and salt water versus temperature, label the curve for each type
of water and explain how you made your decision.
4. Sketch the path a light ray will follow as it reflects off the flat surface of a body of water or refracts upon
entering it.
5. Predict how the color and intensity of sunlight change as it goes into the ocean.
1. On a water molecule, positive electrical charge is _____.
A. evenly distributed
B. concentrated on the oxygen atom
C. concentrated on the hydrogen atoms
D. constantly shifting location
E. appears only intermittently
2. _____ bonding among water molecules helps account for water’s high specific heat, surface tension, heat of
vaporization, and dissolving ability.
A. covalent
B. hydrogen
C. ionic
D. metallic
E. Van der Waal’s
3. How many calories of heat are required to melt one gram of ice at 0°C and raise the temperature of the
resulting liquid to 20°C?
A. 20
B. 40
C. 80
D. 100
E. 200
4. Unlike most materials, the density of solid water (ice) is _____ that of liquid water.
A. greater than
B. equal to
C. less than
D. constantly changing relative to
E. more variable than
5. The accompanying graph shows the densities of fresh water and
seawater as functions of temperature. You can tell the lower curve is
for fresh water because it has a _____.
A. uniformly negative slope
B. density maximum
C. higher density
D. lower density
E. nicer shape
6. The transfer of heat to the ocean’s surface at night as warm water rises and cool water sinks is an example
of heat transfer by _____.
A. conduction
B.
C.
D.
E.
convection
induction
radiation
transmission
7. As you go deeper into the ocean the intensity of sunlight _____ and its color becomes _____.
A. decreases, bluer
B. decreases, redder
C. increases, bluer
D. increases, redder
E. stays the same, bluer
8. The bending of light rays as they enter or leave a denser material, such as water, is known as _____.
A. diffraction
B. dispersion
C. reflection
D. refraction
E. scattering
9. Changes in pressure, temperature, and salinity with depth create a/an _____ in the speed of sound at about
1000 m depth that enables sound to travel long distances through the sea.
A. maximum
B. lack of variation
C. minimum
D. erratic behavior
E. strong variation