Ocean Currents
Whats the difference between wind-driven and density driven currents?
What are surface currents being driven by wind, while deep currents are driven by differences in water temperature and salinity?
What is a gyre, and how does it form?
What is a large system of circulating ocean currents formed by wind patterns and the Coriolis effect?
Describe the location and characteristics of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current.
What is a cold, fast-moving current encircling Antarctica, connecting all ocean basins?
What is the difference between sea ice, shelf ice, and icebergs?
What is sea ice forming from frozen ocean water, shelf ice being thick ice attached to land, and icebergs breaking off from glaciers or ice shelves?
How does water density drive thermohaline circulation?
What is the process where colder, saltier water sinks and warmer, less salty water rises, driving deep ocean currents?
Name the five subtropical gyres and describe their locations.
What are the North Atlantic, South Atlantic, North Pacific, South Pacific, and Indian Ocean gyres, each located in their respective ocean basins?
Describe the location and characteristics of the Gulf Stream, and why it is unique.
What is a warm, fast, deep western boundary current in the North Atlantic, notable for its influence on climate and weather?
Outline the conveyor-belt circulation model for ocean water.
What is the global movement of surface and deep ocean water driven by temperature and salinity differences, cycling water through all major ocean basins?
What is the difference between equatorial currents and equatorial countercurrents?
nd equatorial countercurrents?
(What is equatorial currents moving westward due to trade winds, while equatorial countercurrents flow eastward in response to water piling up in the western ocean basins?
How does the Coriolis effect influence ocean currents?
What is the deflection of moving water to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere due to Earth's rotation?
Describe the location and characteristics of the California Current.
What is a cold, slow, eastern boundary current flowing southward along the U.S. West Coast?
How does conveyor-belt circulation affect climate?
What is the regulation of global temperatures by distributing heat between the equator and poles?
What are the physical characteristics of western boundary currents?
What are warm, fast, deep, and narrow currents found on the western side of ocean basins?
How does upwelling affect ocean productivity?
What is upwelling bringing nutrient-rich deep water to the surface, supporting high marine productivity?
Describe the location and characteristics of the Peru (Humboldt) Current.
What is a cold, eastern boundary current flowing northward along the west coast of South America, known for strong upwelling and marine productivity?
How can climate change impact conveyor-belt circulation?
What is the weakening or disruption of deep-water formation due to melting ice and reduced salinity, potentially slowing or stopping the system?
What are the physical characteristics of eastern boundary currents?
What are cold, slow, shallow, and broad currents found on the eastern side of ocean basins?
How does downwelling affect ocean productivity?
What is downwelling pushing surface water downward, reducing nutrient availability and marine productivity?
What is the difference between the Brazil Current and the Canary Current in terms of location and physical characteristics?
What is the Brazil Current being a warm, fast western boundary current along South America, while the Canary Current is a cold, slow eastern boundary current along North Africa?
Why is the Gulf Stream the most studied ocean current?
What is its strong influence on climate, weather, and navigation, as well as its role in the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation?