Ocean surface currents
Streamlike movements of water that occur at or near the surface of the ocean are called
Surface Currents
The East Australian Current transports a staggering
40 million cubic metres of water each second.
If Earth's surface were covered only with water,______would travel in a fixed pattern across the Earth,
currents
Cold air chills the water molecules at the surface, causing them to
move closer together.
trough is the
lowest point.
Surface currents can reach depths of several hundred meters and lengths of several thousand
kilometers.
40 million cubic metres of water southward each second. Is equivalent to________flowing along our coastline,
16,000 Olympic swimming pools flowing along our coastline,
When currents meet landforms,
they change direction.
Temperature and salinity affect
the density of ocean water.
A crest is the
highest point
Global winds blowing across the Earth’s surface create
Surface currents
The current is almost___ KM wide
100
When currents meet landforms, they change direction this is known as
continental deflection.
Ocean water gets denser when it becomes
saltier or gets colder.
Waves are made of two main components -
crests and troughs.
The Gulf Stream, which is one of the
longest surface currents, transports _____ than all other rivers
25
times more water
The current is ___ KM Deep
1.5
Warm water currents begin near the equator and carry_____to other parts of the ocean.
warm water
Deep currents are not controlled by wind or the
Coriolis effect.
A wavelength is the distance between
two adjust crests or troughs
Surface currents are controlled by four
factors:
______the Coriolis effect,
continental deflections, and the water
temperature.
global winds,
Speeds in the core of the EAC are
among the strongest in the South Pacific
up
to 4.5 mph an hour.
Cold water currents begin closer to the poles and carry
cool water
are stream-like movements of ocean water far below the ocean surface are
Deep currents
Wave height is the vertical distance between a
waves crest and its trough.