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Ocean Trivia
Dive deep into mind-blowing ocean facts that will amaze you! From the deepest trenches to the largest creatures - discover incredible marine secrets that will fascinate every ocean lover.
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Questions (125 of 125)
๐กmedium
Which metal accumulates in tuna and can pose health risks if consumed in high amounts?
๐ดhard
The oldest known oceanic crust sampled directly is about how old from the eastern Mediterranean Herodotus Basin?
๐ขeasy
Which crustacean is known for a snapping claw that makes a loud pop underwater?
๐ขeasy
Which floating system cleans plastic by using ocean currents to funnel debris?
๐ดhard
Which rare fish was first described from a submersible at about eight hundred meters near Hawaii in 2009?
๐ดhard
What is the accepted boundary latitude for the Antarctic Convergence where subantarctic and polar waters meet?
๐ขeasy
What predator has the largest recorded great white shark bite force estimates among bony fish and sharks?
๐กmedium
Which ancient Egyptian port on the Red Sea dispatched voyages to Punt?
๐ดhard
Which basin hosts the deepest hydrothermal vents known to date?
๐ดhard
What is the practical salinity unit definition based on conductivity relative to a standard solution?
๐กmedium
What is the main mineral structure of coral skeletons?
๐ขeasy
Which ocean trench runs parallel to the west coast of South America?
๐กmedium
Which volcanic island emerged dramatically near Tonga in 2015 then eroded again?
๐กmedium
What was the name of the submersible used by Robert Ballard to explore hydrothermal vents in 1979?
๐ขeasy
What phenomenon can produce a sudden large sea wave after an undersea quake?
๐ขeasy
What common beach safety feature shows where it is safe to swim between two colored markers?
๐กmedium
Which ship used by Charles Darwin surveyed the coasts and oceans in the 1830s?
๐กmedium
Which sea is the saltiest open sea due to high evaporation and limited inflow?
๐ดhard
Which polymetallic structure at vents is rich in copper zinc and precious metals formed by precipitating sulfides?
๐กmedium
Which expedition located the wreck of RMS Titanic in 1985?
๐กmedium
The thermohaline circulation is driven by differences in what properties?
๐ขeasy
Which marine reptile returns to beaches to lay eggs?
๐ดhard
Which deep sea jellyfish displays a spectacular bioluminescent pinwheel when disturbed?
๐ดhard
What is the estimated global mean sea level rise from nineteen hundred to two thousand according to tide gauges?
๐ดhard
Which spectral absorption band gives seawater its characteristic blue by absorbing red strongly?
๐ขeasy
Which ocean lies between the Americas and Europe Africa?
๐กmedium
Which global agreement regulates ocean dumping of wastes since 1972?
๐ดhard
Which hydrothermal vent field discovered in 2000 features carbonate chimneys up to sixty meters tall?
๐กmedium
In what year did James Cameron pilot Deepsea Challenger to the bottom of Challenger Deep?
๐กmedium
Which underwater mountain chain is the longest on Earth?
๐ขeasy
Which ocean is the largest single body of water on Earth by surface area?
๐ดhard
Which autonomous vehicle mapped the Endurance shipwreck beneath Weddell Sea ice in 2022?
๐ขeasy
Which current helps keep western Europe milder in winter?
๐กmedium
What is the name of the large floating iceberg that calved from the Larsen C ice shelf in 2017?
๐กmedium
The 2011 Tohoku earthquake generated a Pacific wide tsunami. What approximate maximum run up was recorded at Miyako?
๐ขeasy
What name is given to the warm periodic ocean event that alters weather globally?
๐ดhard
The Drake Passage sill depth that constrains circumpolar flow is approximately what?
๐ดhard
Which rare deep sea ecosystem relies on methane oxidation at cold seeps?
๐ขeasy
Which polar bear hunting ground depends on seasonal ocean ice?
๐ดhard
The deepest known living fish observed in 2023 belonged to which genus?
๐กmedium
Which current forms a ring that circles Antarctica and links all major basins?
๐ขeasy
Which ocean surrounds Antarctica on all sides?
๐กmedium
Which ocean desert region is known for extremely low nutrients and clear water in the North Pacific?
๐ดhard
What is the approximate global mean mixed layer depth in meters averaged annually outside polar regions?
๐ขeasy
Which structure protects a harbor by breaking waves?
๐ขeasy
What color does seawater often appear in the open ocean due to light absorption and scattering?
๐ขeasy
What famous Australian feature is the largest coral reef system?
๐ขeasy
Which famous line on maps marks zero degrees longitude and meets the ocean near the English Channel?
๐ขeasy
What is the term for zones with little oxygen that can form in coastal seas?
๐ดhard
Which instrument on the Argo float measures conductivity to infer salinity at set depth levels?
๐กmedium
Which country established Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument in 2006?
๐กmedium
What is the approximate mean depth of the world ocean?
๐ขeasy
What creates the rise and fall of ocean tides most strongly?
๐กmedium
The highest recorded significant wave height from a buoy exceeded what value near Campbell Island in 2018?
๐ขeasy
Which fish is famous for its dorsal fin and speed as the fastest in the ocean?
๐กmedium
Which ridge spreading center runs through the Red Sea?
๐ขeasy
What shallow tropical sea is famous for bright clear waters and many islands between Florida and Cuba?
๐กmedium
What is the term for the zone of rapidly decreasing light with depth below the surface layer?
๐ดhard
What is the approximate residence time of chloride ions in the ocean based on geochemical budgets?
๐กmedium
Which species undertakes the longest known migration of any sea turtle?
๐ขeasy
What floating line marks the level where waves meet the shore at that time?
๐ขeasy
Which island nation sits on the Mid Atlantic Ridge and uses geothermal power from undersea spreading?
๐ดhard
Which region exhibits the strongest open ocean nitrogen fixation by Trichodesmium colonies?
๐ดhard
The largest marine protected area by size as of the mid 2020s is which region?
๐ดhard
Which trace gas emitted by oceanic phytoplankton seeds cloud condensation nuclei in the marine boundary layer?
๐กmedium
In 1960 the first photograph of life on the hadal seafloor showed what organism on the bottom?
๐ขeasy
What do sailors call a powerful rotating ocean storm in the North Atlantic?
๐กmedium
The exclusive economic zone gives a coastal state rights over resources up to how far from shore?
๐ดhard
Which rare metal is enriched in ferromanganese nodules and is targeted for potential deep sea mining?
๐กmedium
What famous encounter zone in the North Atlantic is known for shipwrecks near Bermuda?
๐ขeasy
Which marine mammal is the largest animal known to have ever lived?
๐ดhard
Which law describes the logarithmic dependence of wind driven current on depth known as the Ekman spiral?
๐ดhard
Which ocean color pigment index is used to estimate phytoplankton biomass from space?
๐ขeasy
Which ocean is smallest by surface area?
๐ขeasy
What term describes the place where a river meets the sea with mixed salinity?
๐ดhard
The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation includes which deep current flowing southward?
๐กmedium
Which nation completed the first full surface circumnavigation by sail in 1522 through the Magellan Elcano voyage?
๐กmedium
Which strait separates Asia from North America at its narrowest point?
๐กmedium
Which sea has the world lowest natural point on land at its shore?
๐ดhard
What is the approximate density of typical seawater at the surface in kilograms per cubic meter?
๐ขeasy
What is the primary salt in seawater by mass?
๐ดhard
What is the official name of the deepest point in the Atlantic Ocean?
๐ดhard
Which current forms from the retroflection of the Agulhas and leaks warm salty water into the Atlantic?
๐ดhard
What is the approximate global ocean heat uptake since the mid 20th century expressed as zettajoules?
๐ดhard
What is the typical pH of modern surface seawater averaged globally?
๐ดhard
Which acoustic frequency band is most often used for long range submarine communication due to low attenuation?
๐กmedium
Which bay sees the world highest tidal range recorded at over sixteen meters?
๐ดhard
Which isotope ratio in foraminifera tests is used to reconstruct past seawater temperatures via paleothermometry?
๐กmedium
What is the name of the warm current that flows north along Japans coast?
๐กmedium
The Sargasso Sea is bounded not by land but by what?
๐ขeasy
Which boundary sees waves crash directly onto steep cliffs along western Ireland?
๐กmedium
The first crewed visit to the deepest ocean point was made by Trieste. Who were aboard?
๐ขeasy
What device do ships use to determine ocean depth by sound?
๐ขeasy
Which narrow waterway connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic?
๐ขeasy
Which ocean borders the east coast of Africa and the west coast of Australia?
๐ดhard
In which year did the International Hydrographic Organization formally recognize the Southern Ocean as a distinct fifth ocean in its publication?
๐ดhard
Which seafloor observatory network off Canada provides real time data from cabled nodes?
๐ดhard
What is the geologic term for a flat topped seamount that was once an island?
๐ดhard
The Munk layer in underwater acoustics refers to what specific feature?
๐ขeasy
Coral reefs are built primarily by which tiny animals?
๐ดhard
What is the formal name of the slow equatorial wave that moves eastward and resets Pacific conditions before El Nino?
๐ดhard
What was the measured maximum depth of Challenger Deep from Victor Vescovos 2019 Five Deeps expedition using pressure corrected readings?
๐กmedium
What is the largest known submarine canyon on Earth by volume and length?
๐ดhard
The FeMo cofactor essential for marine nitrogenase contains which heterometal cluster?
๐ดhard
The slowest spreading ridge on Earth is which system?
๐กmedium
What is the name of the algae responsible for many harmful red tides in coastal waters?
๐ดhard
Which satellite altimetry mission pair first mapped global sea surface height with centimeter precision in the 1990s?
๐ขeasy
Which sea connects to the Red Sea through a man made canal opened in 1869?
๐ขeasy
Which legendary lost shipwreck is associated with a 1912 iceberg collision?
๐ขeasy
Which animal is famous for long songs heard across ocean basins?
๐ดhard
What is the formal name of the legal concept that governs the seabed beyond national jurisdiction for the benefit of humankind?
๐ดhard
Which seafloor feature records magnetic reversals and was key evidence for seafloor spreading?
๐กmedium
Which deep sea fish is known for a bioluminescent lure protruding from its head?
๐กmedium
What is the accepted average salinity of seawater in practical salinity units?
๐ดhard
The extreme pressure at eleven thousand meters is approximately how many atmospheres?
๐ขeasy
What name is given to floating rafts of seaweed that create habitat in the North Atlantic?
๐ดhard
What is the maximum recorded speed of the Agulhas Current measured by drifters and ADCPs?
๐ดhard
The largest known submarine slide in the Atlantic during the Holocene is what event?
๐ขeasy
Which floating ice feature breaks off from glaciers and drifts at sea?
๐ดhard
Which statistical distribution often models wave heights where energy is random and linear?
๐กmedium
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is concentrated by which circulation feature?
๐กmedium
The Dardanelles connects the Aegean to which inland sea?
๐ขeasy
What gas do phytoplankton release that supports life on land and sea?
๐ขeasy
What is the deepest known point in the ocean discovered so far?
๐กmedium
What is the name of the rapid cold current along the west coast of South America that supports rich fisheries?
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