Ocean Surface Currents
Slides 1 & 2
Slides 1 & 2
Streamlike movements of water that occur at or near the surface of the ocean are called
Surface Currents
The _____________________ is not the fast-flowing warp-tube as it’s portrayed in the movie, Finding Nemo – it’s an even better ride than that.
East Australian Current
When currents meet landforms, they change direction. This is known as...
Continental deflection
_____________ are stream-like movements of ocean water far below the ocean surface.
Deep Currents
Waves are made of two main components...
crests and troughs
The Gulf Stream, transports __ times more water than all of the rivers in the world.
25
The East Australian Current flows southward from the _____________.
Great Barrier Reef
Warm water currents begin near the _____ and carry ____ water to other parts of the ocean. Cold water currents begin closer to the ___ and carry ___ water to other parts of the ocean.
equator, warm, poles, cold
Temperature and ______ affect the ______ of ocean water.
salinity, density
A crest is the _______ point and the trough is the ______ point
highest, lowest
__________ blowing across the Earth’s surface create surface currents.
Global Winds
Speeds in the East Australian Current are up to...
4.5 m/h, or 7 km/h
If Earth's surface were covered only with _____, currents would travel in a fixed pattern across the Earth
water
Cold air chills the water molecules at the _______, causing them to move closer together.
surface
___________ is the vertical distance between a waves crest and its trough.
Wave Height
Surface currents can reach depths of several hundred ______ and lengths of several thousand _______.
meters, kilometers
The East Australian Current transports a staggering ________ cubic metres of water southward each second.
40 million
Warm-water currents create warmer climates in coastal areas that would otherwise be much _____.
cooler
Starting at a depth of about ___ meters, the water temperature becomes colder as the depth _________.
200, increases
A _________ is the distance between two adjust crests or troughs
wavelength
Because of the ______, currents in the Northern Hemisphere turn clockwise while currents in the Southern Hemisphere turn counterclockwise.
Coriolis Effect
The current is almost ___ km wide, and more than __ km deep
100, 1.5
Cold-water currents create cooler climates in coastal areas that would be much ______.
warmer
The denser water moves along the ocean floor and eventually travels toward the _______ in the form of a deep current. Less-dense water always flows on ______ of denser water.
equator, top
___________ form because of friction between the wind and the surface of the water. Waves move in a ________ pattern.
Ocean waves, circular