Ocean Currents
Large, continuous movements of ocean water.
What are ocean currents?
The apparent curving of moving water caused by Earth’s rotation.
What is the Coriolis effect?
The property that determines whether ocean water sinks or floats.
What is density?
What waves transfer across the ocean without moving water long distances.
What is energy?
When a wave topples forward and washes onto the shore.
What is a break?
The type of currents that move on or near the ocean’s surface.
What are surface currents?
The hemisphere where ocean currents curve to the right.
What is the Northern Hemisphere?
The two factors that control the density of ocean water.
What are temperature and salinity?
The highest and lowest points of a wave.
What are the crest and the trough?
The process that causes waves to bend as they approach shallow water.
What is refraction?
The main force that drives surface currents across the ocean.
What is wind?
The hemisphere where ocean currents curve to the left.
What is the Southern Hemisphere?
The reason cold, salty water sinks in the ocean.
What is because it is denser?
The distance between two consecutive wave crests.
What is wavelength?
A current that flows parallel to the shore and moves sand.
What is a longshore current?
Large circular systems of surface currents created by Earth’s rotation.
What are gyres?
Two major global wind belts that help drive surface currents.
What are the trade winds and the westerlies?
The apparent curving of surface currents caused by Earth’s rotation.
What is the Coriolis effect?
The alignment of the sun, moon, and Earth that produces the greatest tidal range.
What is a spring tide?
A fast-moving, narrow current that carries water away from the beach.
What is a rip current?
The largest ocean current on Earth that flows around Antarctica.
What is the Antarctic Circumpolar Current?
The reason surface currents do not travel in straight lines.
What is Earth’s rotation?
The force that drives deep currents instead of wind.
What are differences in water density and/or salinity?
The gravitational effect that creates two tidal bubbles on opposite sides of Earth.
What is the Moon’s gravity?
The reason waves slow down as they reach shallow water.
What is friction with the ocean floor?