Surface Currents
A Surface Current
A surface current is a horizontal movement of ocean water near the surface, primarily driven by wind patterns.
An Ocean Current
What is a large volume of water flowing in a certain direction.
A Rip Current
What is a narrow, powerful surface current which flows away from the shore.
The Coriolis Effect
What is the movement of wind and water to the right or left that is caused by Earth’s rotation.
An Upwelling
What is the vertical movement of water toward the ocean’s surface.
Main Driver of Surface Currents
What is the wind
Mrs. Balsamo's Definition of Ocean Currents
A River in the Ocean
True or False: Rip Currents pull you under and drown you
False
The 2 things the Coriolis Effect Affects
What is
1. Water
2. Air
All Fluids
A Density Current
What is a type of vertical current that carries water from the surface to deeper parts of the ocean.
The Maximum Depth of Surface Currents
How deep is 400 meters
The Main Driver of Ocean Currents
What is Density
To Escape a Rip Current
What is swimming parallel to the shore until you get out of the narrow current
The Direction Fluids Curve in the Northern Hemisphere
What is Clockwise or Right
The Direction of Density Currents in Relation to the Ocean
What is Vertically or North to South
The Direction of Surface Currents in Relation to the Ocean
What is Horizontal or East to West
The Three Main Types of Ocean Currents
What are
1. Surface Currents
2. Density Currents
3. Rip Currents
Rip currents take you out around ___ yards
How far is 100-200 yards
The Thing that Affects the Flow and Speed of Currents.
The size and shape of adjacent land masses
A model of the large system of ocean currents that affects weather and climate by circulating thermal energy around Earth.
What is The Great Ocean Conveyor Belt
The Maximum Speed of Surface Currents
How fast is 100 km/day
The Estimated time it takes for The Great Ocean Conveyor Belt to make 1 Full Loop
The Number of Deaths Related to Rip Currents Annually
The Formula for the Coriolis Effect
The Variables are
Fc=coriolis force
m=mass
Ω=angular velocity
v=tangential velocity
What is
Fc=-2m(Ω x v)
A large system of rotating ocean currents, primarily driven by wind patterns and the Earth's rotation, that form a circular pattern in the ocean
What is a Gyre