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 Eastern Australian Current flows
Southward
When currents meet landforms, they
Change Directions
______ are stream-like movements of ocean water far below the ocean surface
Deep currents
_____ is the highest point and the ______ is the lowest point.
Crest, trough
Surface currents can reach depths of several hundred meters and lengths of several
thousand kilometers
The current flows up to
4-5 mph
Cold water currents begin
Closer to the poles
Deep currents are mainly controlled by
increases in water density
_______ is the distance between two adjust crests or troughs.
wavelength
How are surface currents created
Global winds blowing across the Earth’s surface
But actually the real East Australian Current is much bigger and
much wilder
Some surface currents warm and some
cool
Cold air chills the water molecules at the surface, causing them to move
closer together
____ ______ is the vertical distance between a waves crest and its trough.
Wave height
The golf stream goes from
Florida to Iceland
The East Australian Current transports a staggering _________ of water southward each second.
40 million cubic metres
This causes changes in the atmosphere that
disrupt the climate
As a result, the volume of the water decreases, and the water becomes
denser
Ocean aves form because of
fiction between the wind and the surface of the water
the water temperature.
The current is almost
100 km wide
Warm-water currents create warmer climates in coastal areas that would otherwise be much cooler. Likewise, Cold-water currents create cooler climates in coastal areas that would be much
warmer
starting at a depth of about 200 meters, the water temperature becomes
colder
________ ______ are waves that require a medium
Mechanical waves