Ocean Surface Currents (slides 1 and 2)
Streamlike movements of water that occur at or near the surface of the ocean are called
Surface Currents
Speeds in the core of the EAC are among the strongest in the South Pacific, up to ______
4.5 mph an hour.
If Earth's surface were covered only with only ____ currents would travel in a fixed pattern across the Earth.
water
What is a stream-like movements of ocean water far below the ocean surface.
Deep curents
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 and flows from Florida to Iceland!
25
The East Australian Current transports a staggering ________ metres of water southward each second.
40 million cubic
When currents meet landforms, they change _____
direction
_____ and _____affect the density of ocean water. Ocean water gets denser when it becomes saltier or gets colder.
Temperature and salinity
A ______ is the distance between two adjust crests or troughs.
wavelength
Surface currents can reach depths of several hundred meters and lengths of.. _____
several thousand kilometers.
The current is almost 100 km wide, and more than 1.5 km deep – in fact, more like a _____
ribbon than a tube.
Warm water currents begin near the ____ and carry warm water to other parts of the ocean.
equator
Cold air chills the water molecules at the surface, causing them to.. ?
move closer together.
What is the vertical distance between a waves crest and its trough.
Wave height
Global winds blowing across the Earth’s surface create____
Surface currents
The East Australian Current does flow along the East coast of _____
Australia
Cold water currents begin closer to the poles and carry _____ to other parts of the ocean.
cool water
The denser water moves along the ocean floor and eventually _____ travels in the form of a deep current.
toward the equator
What waves require a medium.
Mechanical waves
Just as with winds, the ____________causes surface currents to move in curved paths rather than straight lines.
rotation of the Earth
But actually the _______ is much bigger and much wilder than in the movie.
real East Australian Current
Cold-water currents create _____ in coastal areas that would be much warmer.
cooler climates
____ water always flows on top of denser water.
Less-dense
A wave is defined as a _____
transfer of energy.