Density Currents
How are density currents created?
Changes in density
What does Mrs. Balsamo call ocean currents?
Rivers in the ocean
Where does upwelling most often occur?
Coastlines
What are surface currents driven by?
The wind
How are rip currents caused?
An uneven build-up of water on the shore
What is density?
How much stuff (mass) is in a given space (volume).
What does the Coriolis Effect move?
What is upwelling?
Cold water moving up to the ocean surface
How far down do surface currents go?
400 meters
How do you break out of a rip current
Swim parallel to the shore
What do density currents move?
Thermal energy, nutrients, and gases
What is an ocean current?
A large volume of water flowing in a specific direction
What is the Great Ocean Conveyor Belt?
Water heating and cooling throughout the world through upwelling and downwelling
Seasonal _____ greatly affect surface currents.
patterns
Do rip currents pull you under or keep you at the surface?
The surface
How does temperature affect density currents?
Cold air cools surface water and itn causes them to sink
How does the Coriolis Effect work?
How long does it take for the GOCB model take to complete a cycle?
1,000 years
How fast can surface currents move?
100 km/day
What % of beach rescues are associated with rip currents?
80%
What is a turbidity current?
A type of density current that moves much faster due to more sediments
What direction would water appear to move in Winston-Salem? (Northern Hemisphere)
Counter-clockwise
When does upwelling most often occur?
Summer
In which direction do surface currents carry water on the ocean?
Horizontally/East and West
How far do rip currents usually pull you out?