Upwelling and Ocean Effects/Movements
What is it when deep water rises to replace warm water and how does it work?
It is when surface water is pushed away and it is known as upwelling. It is when cold, nutrient rich water is pulled up from the deep sea.
What is a rip current?
A rip current is a narrow, fast-moving channel of water that flows from the shore out to deeper water, typically caused by waves breaking strongly in some locations and weaker in others.
What does the cold California Current affect?
The California current affects coastal areas of the southwestern United States.
What are ocean currents?
Ocean currents are large-scale movements of water in the ocean. They are basically streams of water flowing constantly on the ocean surface in definite directions. They are driven by wind, temperature, saltiness of the water, and the Coriolis Effect
What is upwelling?
Upwelling is the process of bringing cold, nutrient-rich water to ocean's surface. Winds blowing across the ocean surface often push water away from an area. When this occurs, water rises up from beneath the surface to replace the diverging surface water.
How does a rip current pull people outwards?
A rip current pulls swimmers away from shore, not underneath the water but simply dragging them on the surface further from land.
How do ocean currents help climate?
Ocean currents regulate global climate, helping to counteract the uneven distribution of solar radiation reaching Earth's surface.
What is a surface current?
A surface current is a type of ocean current caused by the wind. When the wind changes, the current can change as well. Currents are also influenced by the Coriolis Effect
What does upwelling bring to surface life?
In addition to nutrients, upwelling zones bring more of this essential gas to surface life such as dissolved carbon dioxide and dissolved nitrogen.
What is the Coriolis Effect?
This effect causes moving water and air to curve due to Earths rotation. Its an effect of deflection from moving objects.
In what way does cold water move?
Cold water sinks due to its higher density than warmer water.
What is a density current?
A density current is a flow of water driven by differences in density, mainly due to temperature and salinity variations.
What is the main driver of ocean movements?
Density Currents.
What causes the Coriolis Effect?
The Coriolis Effect is caused by the movement of Earth's rotation.
How do warm water currents and cold water currents affect climate/weather?
Impact climate by transporting heat/cold around the globe, influencing regional temperatures and affecting precipitation patterns.
What is the difference between a surface current, and density current?
Surface currents, are large scale ocean currents that flow at the surface, driven mainly by wind and the Coriolis effect. While density currents are deep in the ocean driven by differences in water density, which are caused by variations in temperature and salinity.
How MASSIVE is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and what is it?
Roughly 620,000 square miles, or the size of Texas. It is a MASSIVE cluster of garbage caused by the interaction of currents in the Pacific Ocean
How does the Coriolis effect move?
It moves left and right. It moves right in the Northern Hemisphere and left in the Southern Hemisphere.
How do ocean currents help balance Earth's climate?
They move heat from the equator to the poles.
How does a density current form?
Density currents from when water moves due to differences in density which are caused by changes in temperature. So when cold, salty water sinks in one part of the ocean, it creates a deep current that moves along the ocean floor. This process is part of the global conveyor belt that helps regulate earths climate.