Environmental Science, 10th Edition (Cunningham)

<a onClick="window.open('/olcweb/cgi/pluginpop.cgi?it=jpg::::/sites/dl/free/8888888555/484165/google.jpg','popWin', 'width=210,height=178,resizable,scrollbars');" href="#"><img valign="absmiddle" height="16" width="16" border="0" src="/olcweb/styles/shared/linkicons/image.gif"> (34.0K)</a>

Take a virtual field trip with Google Earth!
Google Earth is a free, online application that uses satellite imagery to allow the user to zoom across the globe in a realistic, virtual environment. Downloading Google Earth is free at http://www.earth.google.com.

An overview manual is available by clicking here... Google Earth Overview (342.0K)

To continue:
- Make sure you have the Google Earth software installed and running.
- Copy the following latitude and longitude and paste into the "Fly to" field under the Search tab.
- Hit “Enter” for Google Earth to take you to the specified coordinates, then come back here and read the following overview.

Latitude/Longitude: 43.9687, Longitude: -50.1779

Overview: Grand Banks, p. 117

Once the site of one of the most abundant fisheries in the world, marine populations here have been depleted by destructive fishing methods. Especially destructive are the large trawlers that drag nets on the sea floor, destroying reproductive and feeding habitat and badly damaging the marine food web. The Grand Banks provided outstanding habitat for cod because of several factors: the shallow sea floor was good for the development of eggs and young, the Gulf Stream carried warm water and nutrients northward along the continental coast, and it was near the nutrient-rich arctic waters where cod migrated to feed and grow fat. Fishing fleets came from Spain, England, and other European countries to exploit the cod of this area. The Maritime Provinces of Canada prospered in the 19th century on the bounty of these fish. The Grand Banks cod fishery is now closed in an effort to prevent the complete loss of this fish population.

1			Based on the location and appearance of the Grand Banks region, what is the explanation for the presence of shallow water this far out into the ocean?
			A)	The Grand Banks sits above a large coral reef platform.
			B)	The Grand Banks is located on a broad extension of the eastern continental shelf.
			C)	The Grand Banks is located near a group of volcanic islands.
			D)	The Grand Banks is located above a group of submerged islands.
			E)	The Grand Banks is located above the mid-Atlantic ridge.
2			Why were there once large populations of fish here?
			A)	Due to several poorly understood factors, predators usually avoid this area, causing fish populations to rise dramatically.
			B)	The Grand Banks is a shallow region that juts out into the Gulf Stream, where warm water and nutrient rich cold water meet, supporting a rich marine food chain.
			C)	The ozone hole that emerged over Australia during the last 30 years drove away the once-thriving fish due to increased solar radiation.
			D)	Because this area used to be a protected marine sanctuary, but it lost that protection when oil was discovered in the Grand Banks.
			E)	The proximity of the Grand Banks to the coastline provides abundant nutrients from runoff to support a rich marine food chain.
3			The continental shelf along the coast of North America varies significantly in width depending on where it is measured. From central New Jersey to the edge of the shelf is about ___ km, and from Newfoundland to the outermost region of the shelf is nearly ___ km.
			A)	200, 450
			B)	450, 200
			C)	700, 450
			D)	140, 700
			E)	300, 600
4			How far would fishing boats from seaports, such as Halifax, Nova Scotia, have to sail to reach this area of the Grand Banks marked by the place marker, and how far is it to Spain?
			A)	1000 km, 3200 km
			B)	3200 km, 1000 km
			C)	500 km, 1300 km
			D)	700 km, 1100 km
			E)	900 km, 2500 km