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