Question

true or false

1. ocean tidal bulges are actually waves with extremely long wavelengths.
2. the suns gravitational pull can actually reduce the height of a high tide.
3. the united states is a world leader in tidal power generation.
4. the great pacific garbage patch has formed because surface currents in the gyres and eddies of the north pacific ocean collect the trash in one place.
5. one of walfrid ekmans discoveries was that surface currents do not flow in the same direction as the wind that causes them.
6. england is nearly as mild as new york because the prevailing westerlies carry warm air from nearer the equator over the british islands.
7. deep-sea currents are usually in the opposite direction from surface currents.
8. the amount of energy in an ocean wave is directly related to the length and speed of the wave.
9. a wave approaching a shore has a height of 2 m and a length of 13 m. this wave is a breaker.
10. the rock of gibraltar was originally a rocky island in the mediterranean that is now connected to the coast of southern spain by a broad stretch of marine sediments. these sediments could be considered a tombolo.

Explanation:

1. Tidal bulges are large, long-wavelength waves caused by gravitational forces.
2. When the sun and moon are at right angles (neap tides), the sun's pull counteracts the moon's, reducing high tide height.
3. Countries like South Korea, France, and Canada lead in tidal power generation; the U.S. has limited operational tidal power facilities.
4. The North Pacific gyre's circular currents trap floating debris, forming the garbage patch.
5. Ekman's theory shows surface currents are deflected 45° from wind direction due to Coriolis effect.
6. England's mild climate is due to the warm Gulf Stream, not prevailing westerlies alone; New York is colder in winter despite similar latitude.
7. Deep-sea thermohaline currents often flow opposite to wind-driven surface currents.
8. Ocean wave energy depends on wave height squared, not length and speed directly.
9. A wave becomes a breaker when its height is ~1/7 of its wavelength; here, $\frac{2}{13} \approx 0.15$, less than 1/7 (~0.143 is not met, so it is not a breaker).
10. A tombolo is a sandbar connecting an island to the mainland, matching the description of the Gibraltar formation.

Answer:

1. True
2. True
3. False
4. True
5. True
6. False
7. True
8. False
9. False
10. True