Ocean Science

Name:

Date:

Instructions: Dive into the science of oceanography, currents, and marine phenomena

1.
What percentage of Earth's surface is covered by oceans?
A
About 61%
B
About 71%
C
About 81%
D
About 50%
2.
What is the deepest known point in the ocean?
A
Tonga Trench
B
Mariana Trench
C
Java Trench
D
Puerto Rico Trench
3.
What causes ocean tides?
A
Underwater volcanic activity
B
Gravitational pull of the Moon and Sun
C
Wind patterns
D
Earth's rotation alone
4.
What is the name of the global system of interconnected ocean currents sometimes called the 'ocean conveyor belt'?
A
Gulf Stream
B
Thermohaline circulation
C
El Niño
D
Coriolis current
5.
What process causes the ocean to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere?
A
Ocean carbon sink
B
Photosynthesis only
C
Evaporation
D
Desalination
6.
What is the average salinity of seawater?
A
About 7.5%
B
About 3.5%
C
About 1.5%
D
About 5.5%
7.
What are hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor also known as?
A
Sea stacks
B
Blue holes
C
Abyssal plains
D
Black smokers
8.
What phenomenon involves the periodic warming of surface waters in the eastern Pacific Ocean?
A
La Niña
B
Tsunami
C
Monsoon
D
El Niño
9.
What is the photic zone of the ocean?
A
The deepest part of the ocean
B
The area near the shore
C
The frozen surface layer
D
The layer where sunlight penetrates
10.
What instrument is used to measure ocean depth using sound waves?
A
Seismograph
B
Barometer
C
Sonar
D
Anemometer
11.
What is ocean acidification primarily caused by?
A
Oil spills
B
Agricultural runoff
C
Volcanic eruptions
D
Absorption of excess carbon dioxide
12.
Who was the first person to reach the bottom of the Mariana Trench in 1960?
A
Jacques Piccard and Don Walsh
B
James Cameron
C
Jacques Cousteau
D
Robert Ballard
13.
What type of ecosystem, found in warm shallow waters, is sometimes called the 'rainforest of the sea'?
A
Seagrass meadow
B
Coral reef
C
Mangrove swamp
D
Kelp forest
14.
What is the name for the boundary between warm surface water and cold deep water in the ocean?
A
Thermocline
B
Halocline
C
Pycnocline
D
Chemocline
15.
What famous underwater research vessel was used by Jacques Cousteau?
A
Trieste
B
Calypso
C
Alvin
D
Nautilus

Answer Key

Question 1

B. About 71%

Question 2

B. Mariana Trench

Question 3

B. Gravitational pull of the Moon and Sun

Question 4

B. Thermohaline circulation

Question 5

A. Ocean carbon sink

Question 6

B. About 3.5%

Question 7

D. Black smokers

Question 8

D. El Niño

Question 9

D. The layer where sunlight penetrates

Question 10

C. Sonar

Question 11

D. Absorption of excess carbon dioxide

Question 12

A. Jacques Piccard and Don Walsh

Question 13

B. Coral reef

Question 14

A. Thermocline

Question 15

B. Calypso

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