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99 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
What happens to the volatile components after any oil spill?
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They evaporate into the air.
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What is the global, long term-change to sea level?
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Eustatic change
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What was first created in an effort to claim the continental shelf as belonging to the nation it was attached to?
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The Law of the Sea
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What is responsible for the large-scale global ocean circulation?
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Thermohaline circulation
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What is the process of wave separation?
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Dispersion
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What type of ocean wave has a disturbing force of sudden changes in atmospheric pressure?
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Seiche waves
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What is a characteristic of a tsunami?
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Long wavelengths
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Where are deltas common?
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Low energy shores
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What is the name for slow, deep currents beneath the pycnocline?
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Thermohaline currents
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What is the Ekman spiral?
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The decreasingly slower movement of water as it gets further away from the wind source
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Why do large, broad beaches have gradual slopes?
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They have a large area for wave energy to dissipate.
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What thrusts water masses that are engaged in the thermohaline flow of the world's ocean?
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Gravity
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A coastline is covered with sea caves. What kind of beach is this likely to be?
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An erosional beach
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What maintains a forced wave?
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Disturbing force
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What kind of waves occur at the boundary between two fluid media?
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Orbital waves
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Why is the extraction of wind so effective over or near the ocean?
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The wind tends to be steady in these areas.
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What type of current occurs during a high tide?
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Flood current
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What can not initiate a seiche?
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Internal waves
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What is the largest known reservoir of hydrocarbons on Earth?
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Methane hydrate
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When did the harvesting of commercial whale species cease?
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When the hunting of whales became uneconomical
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What is a characteristic of Antarctic Bottom Water?
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Extreme density
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What water mass is the most saline?
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Mediterranean Deep Water
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What is not a characteristic of western boundary currents?
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They are broad currents.
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What is responsible for increasing a beach's slope?
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The swash
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What are the most common, large-scale features on a depositional coast?
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Sand spits
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Which is a factor that determines the location of a coast?
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The volume of water in the ocean
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What is a wave period?
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The time for a wave to move the distance of one wavelength
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When high or low tidal currents begin to change direction, it is called:
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Slack water
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Why is methane hydrate not harvested for energy use?
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a.It is costly to mine and liquefy the sediments.
b.It is dangerous to mine due to methane's combustibility. c.The methane disappears as it is brought to the surface. |
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What maintains the permanent thermocline found at all low and mid-latitudes?
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Continual upwelling
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Which is not a reason why a refined oil spill is more harmful?
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The oil contains more energy potential due to additives during the refinement process
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Why is the ozone layer important?
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It protects Earth from ultraviolet rays
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What happens when a tsunami approaches the shore?
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a.Its velocity drops rapidly.
b.Its period remains the same. c.Its wave height increases |
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When a resource is present in a fixed amount, it is said to be:
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a nonrenewable resource.
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What will make people change their way of using energy and perhaps viewing the world?
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They need to see a maximum to their material gains and the distribution of the costs.
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What does Newton's gravitational model not consider when determining influences on tides?
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The position of landmasses in relation to the moon
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What is an example of a true tidal wave?
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Tidal bore
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What is considered to be the largest western boundary current?
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Gulf Stream
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What is the second most valuable marine resource?
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Gravel
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What is the net force of inertia and gravitational attraction combined?
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Tractive forces
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What is usually the highest point on a beach?
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Berm crest
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What is the reference level to which a tidal height is compared to?
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Datum
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What occurs as a tsunami's circumference expands?
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The energy dissipates
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Which habitat is the most impacted by pollutants?
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Estuaries
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What kind of flow is important in driving the ocean surface currents?
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Stokes drift
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How do the insoluble components of oil affect the ocean?
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a.Prevent free diffusion of gas
b.Clog feeding structures c.Decrease the amount of light penetrating the surface |
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In theory, what are free-market economies based upon?
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Pure competition
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What is a mathematical model?
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A model that uses equations to describe a system's behaviors
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Why is a storm surge not considered a progressive wave?
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It is only a crest rather than a whole wave.
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What is the relationship between the heights of tides and the amphidromic point?
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Heights increase with distance from the amphidromic point
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An erosional coast that has little tidal variation:
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can erode quickly because wave action is centralized.
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Why does wave refraction occur?
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Wave lines approach shore and enter into different depths
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What remains unchanged regardless of depth?
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Wave period
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What is a fjord?
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A deep, narrow bay
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What is a sea?
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None of these choices
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What is a coastal cell?
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A section of coastline that has a balance of input and output of sand
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Why is the same side of the moon always facing Earth?
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The tidal friction locked the moon's rotation to that of Earth
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What determines an organism's response to a particular pollutant?
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a.The quantity of the pollutant
b.The toxicity of the pollutant c.The persistence of the pollutant |
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When does a wave begin to interact with its bottom?
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When the bottom is shallower than the wavelength
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What is not true of the backshore?
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It extends slightly seaward of the berm crest.
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prevents North Atlantic Deep Water from moving on a large scale like the Antarctic Bottom Water?
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The topography of the basin
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When do tidal currents reach their maximum velocity?
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Midway between high and low tide
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How are pristine conditions of the atmosphere determined?
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Seawater samples from deep within polar ice packs
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What is not an important factor for the development of wind waves?
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Tides
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What is an amphidromic point?
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A node in the center of an ocean basin
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Why is the West Wind Drift not considered a gyre?
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It does not flow around the margins of an ocean basin.
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tools do fishermen now employ to locate schools of fish?
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a.Scouting vessels
b.Satellite sensors c.Ariel photography |
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Barrier islands are:
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formed when sediments accumulate on submerged rises
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The west coast of the United States receives two high tides and two low tides of varying heights per day. What kind of tidal pattern is this?
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Semidiurnal mixed tides
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What is the relative ratio of height to wavelength in a tsunami?
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It is extremely low.
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What influences contour currents?
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Topography
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What occurs when waves hit an obstacle straight on?
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Wave reflection
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direction would a gyre in the Southern Hemisphere flow towards?
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Left
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What is a fetch?
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The uninterrupted distance over which wind blows
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is the rate of shore erosion dependent upon?
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Exposure to wave activity
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What is another name for undercurrents?
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Countercurrents
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Where does the largest amount of upwelling occur?
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Equatorial upwelling
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What is a disadvantage of using tidal power?
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It cannot sustain the world's needs
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What is the restoring force of a wave?
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The force that returns water to a calm state
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What drives a storm surge ashore?
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Frontal storms
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What is the disadvantage of using drift bottles to study currents?
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The intermediate movements of the bottles are unknown.
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What chemical is responsible for depleting the Earth's ozone at a rapid rate?
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CFCs
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The sun and moon are aligned in a right angle with Earth at its vortex. What kind of tide would this produce?
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Neap tide
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What type of net has been particularly disruptive in the mistargeting of species?
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Drift nets
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Where is the seaward limit of a beach?
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Where the sediment stops moving onshore or offshore
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What function does a bay mouth bar provide?
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a.It protects the area from waves.
b.It protects the area from turbulence. c.It encourages the accumulation of sediments. |
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What is bycatch?
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Organisms unintentionally killed during the harvesting of a different, desirable species
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Geologists use ____ to view sediment layers, depth, and possible reservoir structures.
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sound
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What could happen if global warming were to continue?
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a.Changes in global winds and rainfall
b.Rise in ocean temperatures c.Decrease in dissolved gases |
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T or F-Chemicals and fertilizers are a primary cause of coral reef damage
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T
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T or F-Clownfish confuse their prey into thinking they are swimming in the opposite direction by having an eye sized spot on their tail.
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T
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T or F-Coral reefs are formed at all latitudes on the planet.
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F
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T or F-Coral reefs form at all latitudes on the planet.
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F
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T or F-Corals generally feed during the day by stinging their prey.
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F
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T or F-Global warming is having little or no effect on coral reefs.
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F
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T or F-Humbolt squid have teeth in their tentacle suction cups.
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T
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T or F-Coral bleaching can sometimes be good for future coral development.
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T
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T or F-When walking in the ocean you should always take care to step with your feet versus dragging them
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F
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T or F-If algae is not eaten by fish on the reef, the reef will eventually die.
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T
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