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29 questions
Coastal plain estuaries were formed when...
Sand bars developed along the coast as a result of an accumulation of sediment
The ocean invaded lowlands and river mouths
Retreating glaciers cut a valley along the coast
The sea level fell during glaciation
In an estuary, the salinity of the water generally increases as:
Depth increases
One moves inland
Depth decreases
Evaporation Decreases
The most common type of substrate in estuaries:
Mud
Rock
Coarse Sand
Fine Sand
What is the most important role that estuaries play with regard to the entire world oceanic ecosystem?
They serve as reservoirs for nutrients
They are breeding grounds for many marine species
They are sources of freshwater
They are buffers against storm surge for man-made structures
Blood rich in hemoglobin is an adaptation to:
Fluctuating Salinities
Wide variations in temperature
Soft sediments
Low oxygen concentrations
Mangroves belong to which of the following groups?
Green Algae
Brown Algae
Flowering Plants
Sea Grasses
The loss of estuaries and mangrove forests is particularly serious because these ecosystems:
Provide nesting or resting areas to many sea birds
Are among the most productive of all marine ecosystems
Provide nursery habitats to many species
All of the above choices are correct.
Pneumatophores are used for:
Excretion of excess salts
Horizontal Growth
Aeration of plant tissues
Downward growth
Fjords are formed as a result of which of the following?
Raising of sea level and glaciation
Subsidence of land
Lowering of sea level
Cutting of the coast by a river
Well-formed estuaries are least likely to be formed by:
Sea level rise
Retreating glaciers
Active continental margins
Passive continental margins
Filter feeders are an important part of the salt marsh. Choose the best answer to explain why:
Filter feeders like flounder keep the bottom of the ocean clean by eating decaying matter found there.
Pollutants are removed by filter feeders as they filter water for edible material.
Filter feeder systems found at marinas and ports absorb polluted water and release special anti-pollution agents into the waters.
Bacteria use the filter feeders inside of them to remove pollutants before they ingest the water.
Species such as the porcelain crab are:
Nonnative animals or plants that might be introduced by ship ballast, aquarium trade, and imported seafood
Nonnative organisms introduced by dredging
Introduced as zooplankton in order to dissolve DDT
Native species that are introduced when zooplankton enters fish during tag and release programs
Point source pollutants are best described as:
Pollutants that enter rivers as rainwater flows across the land
Pollutants, such as mercury, that can be traced to a single source, such as a pipe
Pollutants, such as DDT, that can be traced to many sources
Pollutants that enter the river as acid rain
Nonpoint source pollutants are the result of runoff water bringing pollutants from the land into our waterways. What is the best solution for nonpoint source pollution?
Riparian buffer zones, sediment fences, permeable surfaces, fewer chemical pesticides
Recycling, pesticides, dredging, waste treatment centers, filtration devices
Jetties, drains, and heavy rain
Water sampling, DHEC, estuaries, and PCBs
What is the best explanation as to why the oyster bed in this website was closed?
A water sample revealed high levels of fecal coliform due mainly to an oil spill.
There were high levels of oxygen due mainly to acid rain
A water sample revealed high levels of fecal coliform due mainly to a red tide algal bloom.
A water sample revealed high levels of fecal coliform bacteria, most likely the result of runoff pollution.
The part of the continental shelf that is NEVER exposed at low tide is called the:
Littoral zone
Subtidal zone
Intertidal zone
Pelagic zone
The difference in the tint of the water above the continental shelf (greenish area) and the deep blue of the open ocean is due to:
The refraction of light near the coastline
The turbulence of shallow-water wave action
The presence of large numbers of carnivorous fish,
The high level of photosynthetic productivity.
Which of the following organisms is most likely to be an epiphyte?
Algae
Crabs
Mangroves
Snail
Which of the following factors is most likely to have an effect on the global distribution of organisms on the continental shelf?
Stratification of the water
Oxygen
Nutrients
Temperature
Kelps are a characteristic of:
Soft Bottoms
Cold waters off of the Arctic and Antarctic Coasts
Temperate Regions
Soft bottoms, but only in the tropics.
Due to the current circulation patterns, the distribution of kelps is expected to be the widest on coasts along the:
Western side of the oceans
Eastern side of the oceans
Southern Hemisphere
North Pole
Sea Otters are known to affect the development of giant kelp forests by:
Dispersing Kelp Spores
Removing competing seaweeds
Feeding on carnivorous fish
Feeding on grazing sea urchins
What structure anchors the seaweeds to the substrate?
Fond
Holdfast
Stipe
Pneumatocyst
Fluctuations in the number of sea urchins, which can greatly alter kelp communities, has been attributed to all of the following except:
Planktonic Larval Survival
Changes in drift Algae abundance
La Nina
Sea Otter Predation
The distribution of the infauna of soft- bottom subtidal communities is often closely related to:
Particle size of the sediment
Temperature
Salinity
Light
Which of the following is the most common spatial distribution of in soft-bottom subtidal communities?
Regular
Uniform
Random
Patchy
Where would you expect the continental shelf to be the widest?
Off of the coast of California
Off of the coast of Florida
Specifically on the San Andreas Fault
They are all the same.
Where is the temperature the most stable?
Tidal Pools
Estuaries
Deep Sea
Continental Shelf
What organisms can you find in a kelp community
Grazers
Carnivores
Kelp
All of the above
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