Atmosphere: Ocean Currents Flashcards
1
Q
types of ocean currents (2)
A
- surface currents
- deep thermohaline currents
2
Q
warm currents transport…
A
warm water away from the equator
3
Q
cold currents transport…
A
cold water away from the poles
4
Q
surface currents directly respond to…
A
the prevailing global wind pattern
5
Q
coriolis force (ocean)
A
- deflects currents in the Northern hemisphere to the right and to the left in the Southern hemisphere
6
Q
the shape of landmasses can…
A
block and divert the movement of currents
7
Q
Gyre
A
circular shaped loop of ocean currents
8
Q
direction of northern hemisphere gyre
A
clockwise
9
Q
direction of southern hemisphere gyre
A
anticlockwise
10
Q
how are gyres formed?
A
- heating by the sun causes water to expand
- this causes a slight slope, which water flows down
11
Q
thermohaline currents cycle
A
- in cold regions (eg. North Atlantic), water turns to ice
- the surrounding water becomes saltier and denser, and moves towards lower latitudes
- the water is warmed and moves towards the poles
12
Q
currents in the North Atlantic (6)
A
- North Equatorial Current
- Gulf Stream
- North Atlantic Drift
- Labrador Current
- East Greenland current
- Canary current
13
Q
North Equatorial current
A
- warmed at the equator
- moves west
- warms the Gulf of Mexico
14
Q
Gulf Stream
A
travels east across the atlantic
15
Q
North Atlantic drift
A
brings warmer than average temperatures to Europe thanks to the Gulf stream
