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 East Australian Current flows along the____.
East coast of Australia
Some surface currents warm and some cool coastal areas ______.
year round
_____ water always flows on top of denser water.
Less-dense
Waves are made of two main components
crests and troughs
which is one of the longest surface currents, transports 25 times more water than all of the rivers in the world and flows from Florida to Iceland?
The Gulf Stream
Is the East Australian Current the fastest flowing water current?
no, but it is among the strongest.
Surface currents _____ affect the climate in many parts of the world.
greatly
Ocean water gets ______ when it becomes saltier or gets colder.
denser
A crest is the _____ point
highest
_________blowing across the Earth’s surface create surface currents.
Global winds
The speed can go up to____
4.5 mph
When currents meet landforms, they change direction. This is known as ________.
continental deflection
Starting at a depth of about 200 meters, the water temperature becomes ____ as the depth increases.
colder
trough is the _____ point
lowest
Surface currents are controlled by four factors
global winds, the Coriolis effect, continental deflections, and the water temperature
The East Australian Current transports a staggering _______ cubic metres of water southward each second.
40 million
Warm water currents begin near the _____ and carry warm water to other parts of the ocean.
equator
________are streamlike movements of ocean water far below the ocean surface.
Deep currents
__________ is the vertical distance between a waves crest and its trough.
Wave height
Because of the ________, currents in the Northern Hemisphere turn clockwise while currents in the Southern Hemisphere turn counterclockwise.
Coriolis Effect
The current is almost ____wide, and more than ____deep
100 km, 1.5 km
Cold water currents begin closer to the ____ and carry cool water to other parts of the ocean
poles
The The _____ water moves along the ocean floor and eventually travels toward the equator in the form of a deep current.
denser
A ________ is the distance between two adjust crests or troughs
wavelength