Ocean Surface Currents (Slides 1 &2)
Streamlike movements of water that occur at or near the surface of the ocean are called
Surface currents
What direction does the current in the East Australian current flow away from the Great Barrier reef
Flows southward
When currents meet landforms they ______ direction and this is known as ___________ __________
Change direction and this is known as continental deflection
Deep currents are _____-____ movements of ocean water far below the surface
Stream-like
What are the two main parts of a wave
The crests and troughs
Surface currents are controlled by four factors
Global winds, the Coriolis effect, continental deflections, and the water temperature
What is the top speed of the EAC (East Australian current)
Up to 4.5 miles per hour
____ currents form near the equator and carries ____ water to other parts of the ocean
Warm and warm
What controls deep currents
The increase in water density
What is a crest
The highest point on the wave
Surface currents can reach depths of
Several hundred meters and lengths of several thousand kilometers
The EAC transport how many cubic feet of water southward in one second
40 million cubic meters
____ currents start closer to the poles and carry ____ water to other parts of the ocean
Cold and cold
________ and ________ affect the density of the ocean water
Temperature and salinity
What is the trough
The lowest point of the wave
Global winds blowing across the Earth’s surface create
Surface currents
The current is ___ kilometers wide and _._ kilometers deep
100 and 1.5
Surface currents _______ affect the _______ in many parts of the world
Greatly and affect the climate
____ dense water always flows on top of ______ water
Less dense and denser water
What is the wave height
The vertical distance between the waves crest and trough
The rotation of the Earth causes surface currents to move in
Curved paths
Is the EAC shaped more like a ribbon or a tube
Ribbon
What causes changes in the atmosphere that disrupts the climate in many parts of the world
Some surface currents warm and some cool coastal areas year-round
At what depth does the ocean start to become more dense the farther you go down
200 meters
Why do ocean waves form
They form because of the friction between the wind and the surface of the water