Ocean Quiz Answers

Here are the answers:

1. atoll - A: Coral island consisting of a reef surrounding
a lagoon. Who wouldn't love to chuck it all and escape to an
atoll in the Pacific?

2. tack - B: Alter direction when sailing. If you see clouds
on the horizon, it's time to tack toward shore - in a
hurry.

3. corolla - D: Flower petals; inner whorl of floral leaves.
The corolla of each sea-grass flower was visible from the
surface through the crystal-clear water.

4. littoral - D: Relating to - or growing on or near - a
shore, especially of the sea. What kind of strategies can we
come up with to stop the further erosion of our littoral
habitats?

5. gestate - B: Carry in the uterus during pregnancy. Whales
gestate for up to two years before giving birth.

6. estuary - A: A water passage where the tide meets a river
current. A Pacific salmon must pass through a coastal estuary
before making its way upriver to spawn.

7. floe - C: Floating ice formed in a large sheet on the
surface of a body of water. During harsh winters, the ice
floes drifting south on the Hudson River can be immense.

8. pelagic - C: Of, relating to, or living or occurring in
the open sea. The pelican is among the best-known pelagic
birds.

9. scuttle - B: Sink or wreck, especially by making holes.
They decided to scuttle the old ship to create an artifi-
cial reef.

10. frond - D: Large leaf, usually on a palm or fern. On
days when the heat gets unbearable, I like to fan myself
with a palm frond.

11. halyard - A: Rope used to hoist a sail. The captain
ordered me to pull hard on the halyard as we prepared to
leave the harbor for the open sea.

12. mutate - C: Change. Pollution can cause harmless plants
to mutate into toxic killers.

13. piscatory - B: Relating to fish or fishing. That seafood
chowder Frank whipped up last night was a piscatory delight.

14. regenerate - C: Produce anew. Some experts believe our
ocean fishing stocks are becoming too depleted to regenerate.

15. osmosis - C: Movement of water molecules, via a membrane,
from an area of low-salt concentration to one of high-salt
concentration. While it may sound like a harmless process,
osmosis can actually kill a freshwater fish placed in salt
water.

16. kelp - D: Large brown seaweed found in cold waters. I'm
used to having kelp tangled around my legs when I'm swimming,
not having it served to me in a salad.