Ocean Surface Currents (Slides 1 & 2)
Streamlike movements of water that occur at or near the surface of the ocean are called ____ ____.
Surface Currents
The ___________ is not the
fast-flowing warp-tube as it’s portrayed in
the movie – it’s an even better ride than that.
East Australian Current
When currents meet landforms, they change direction. This is known as ______ ______.
continental deflection
_____ _____ are stream-like movements of ocean water far below the ocean surface.
Deep currents
A crest is the highest point and the trough is the lowest point. A ________ is the ________ between two adjust crests or troughs
wavelength, distance
Surface currents are controlled by four
factors: ________, the Coriolis effect,
continental deflections, and the water
temperature.
Global winds
The East Australian Current does flow along
the ________ of Australia, obviously
East coast
Warm water currents begin near the _______ and carry warm water to other parts of the ocean. Cold water currents begin closer to the ______ and carry cool water to other parts of the ocean. The map below shows the Earth_______ _____. Warm water currents are shown in red, and cold water.
1. equator, poles, surface currents
2. Poles, equator,Surface currents
3. surface currents, equator, poles
Deep currents are not controlled by wind or the Coriolis effect. Deep currents are mainly controlled by ________ in water density.
increases
Wave height is the vertical distance between a waves _____ and its trough.
crest
Surface currents flow like _____ in distinct patterns around the Earth
River
Speeds in the core of the EAC are
among the strongest in the South Pacific, up
to ___________.
4.5 mph an hour
Surface currents greatly affect the climate in many parts of the ______.
World
Temperature and salinity affect the density of ocean water. Ocean water gets denser when it becomes saltier or gets colder. Cold air chills the water ________ at the surface, causing them to move closer together. As a result, the volume of the water decreases, and the water becomes denser
molecules
Ocean ____ form because of friction between the wind and the surface of the water. Waves move in a circular pattern.
aves
The Gulf Stream, which is one of the
_____ surface currents, transports 25
times more water than all of the rivers in
the world and flows from Florida to Iceland!
Longest
The East Australian Current transports a staggering _________ of water southward each second.
40 million cubic metres
Some surface currents warm and some ______ areas year-round.
cool coastal
The diagram at the right shows how deep currents and surface currents interact and _______.
trade places
__________ are waves that require a medium.
Mechanical waves
currents in the Northern Hemisphere turn clockwise while currents in the Southern Hemisphere turn ___________.
counterclockwise
The current is almost 100 km wide, and more than ________ – in fact, more like a ribbon than a tube.
1.5 km deep
This causes changes in the atmosphere that disrupt the climate in many parts of the world. Warm-water currents create warmer ______ in coastal areas that would otherwise be much cooler (Iceland). Likewise, Cold-water currents create cooler climates in coastal areas that would be much warmer (San Francisco).
climates
Starting at a depth of about ____ ____, the water temperature becomes colder as the depth increases. The denser water moves along the ocean floor and eventually travels toward the equator in the form of a deep current.
200 meters
You can drop a rock into a pond and see waves form in the water. We even use waves ________ to cook our food really fast.
microwaves