Science Quiz | A reference point where water meets earth

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The first step to scientifically understanding the earth’s sea level is to determine the _____ — the shape that the surface of the ocean would take under the influence of gravity and the planet’s rotation and minus the effects of tides and wides. Fill in the blank.

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In 1948, geophysicists discovered an anomaly in the _____ _____ in the form of a 3 million sq. km patch — roughly the size of India — where the sea level is about 106 m lower than the global mean. Fill in the blank.

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The world’s mean sea level can be calculated as the average value of the X level over time. X in turn refers to the value of the sea level that includes the average height of waves on the surface due to winds. Name X.

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Name the space mission built by the U.S. and French space agencies and launched in August 1992. Among other contributions, it revolutionised oceanography by measuring the mean sea level with an accuracy of 3.3 cm.

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As the earth’s most recent glacial cycle ended around 11,700 years ago and landmasses lost ice, they became lighter and started to rise a little more above the water. In these places, the local sea level is dropping. What is this geological phenomenon called?

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The Dead Sea is the lowest-lying lake in the world. Which is the second lowest? It lies just north of the Dead Sea.