Ocean Currents (ESS2.1)
What is the main source of energy that drives ocean currents?
The Sun.
What is convection?
Heat transfer by the movement of fluids.
What is climate?
The long-term average weather of a region.
Name the three types of heat transfer.
Conduction, convection, and radiation.
Weather or climate: “Today will be rainy.”
Weather.
What two factors cause oceanic convection currents?
Uneven heating from the Sun and differences in salt concentration.
Warm air rises because it is ________.
Less dense.
Which heats up faster—land or water?
Land.
Which type of heat transfer warms Earth from the Sun?
Radiation.
Weather or climate: “Winters here are mild.”
Climate.
Does saltier water become more or less dense?
More dense.
Describe a convection cycle.
Warm fluid rises, cool fluid sinks, creating a circular flow.
How do mountains affect climate?
They block air masses, creating wetter windward sides and drier leeward sides.
Which type of heat transfer occurs in oceans and the atmosphere?
Convection.
How do ocean currents affect weather?
They change air temperature and humidity.
Why does warm water rise and cold water sink in the ocean?
Warm water is less dense; cold water is more dense.
Why does Earth heat unevenly?
The Sun heats different surfaces at different rates.
Why do coastal regions have milder climates?
Oceans absorb and release heat slowly, moderating temperatures.
Why does the equator receive more heat than the poles?
Sunlight hits more directly at the equator.
Why can locations at the same latitude have different climates?
Ocean currents, winds, and geographic features alter heat transfer.
Explain how temperature and salinity work together to create global ocean circulation.
Warm, less dense water rises; cold, salty, dense water sinks, producing global convection currents.
How does uneven heating create wind patterns?
Differences in air temperature produce density and pressure differences, causing air to move.
How can ocean currents change a coastal region’s climate?
Warm currents warm the air; cold currents cool the air.
How do all three heat transfer types affect climate?
How do atmospheric flow and ocean currents work together to shape climate?
Winds move heat and moisture; currents distribute warm/cold water.