CH. 9 Flashcards
What is meant by Geostrophic Flow?
A current in the atmosphere in which Coriolis force and the pressure gradient are in balance.
What is meant by Ekman Spiral and Ekman Transport?
Ekamn spiral: circular motion caused by geostrophic flow. Hill pushes mixed layer deeper.
Ekman transport: net water transport, the sum of layer movement due to the ekman spiral. Coriolis effects felt increasingly smaller below sea level. Net effect= 90 degree motion of winds
Know the process behind coastal upwelling and downwelling. In particular, if given a wind direction along a coast, know how the surface ocean currents will flow.
Downwelling: circulation patter in which surface water moves vertically downward
Upwelling:winds blowing parallel to shore or offshore
Know how upwelled waters differ from downwelled waters with regards to nutrient content.
Upwelled waters: cold, nutrient rich waters brought from below.
Downwelled: warm, nutrient poor waters forced down.
Know the differences between eddies and gyres. Know the general differences between eastern and western boundary currents (strength, salinity, temperatures)
Gyres: surface currents circulating around ocean basins. 2 northern: North Pacific gyre, North Atlantic gyre. 4 southern: South Pacific gyre, south Atlantic gyre, Indian Ocean gyre, circum-Antarctic gyre.
Eddies: small circulations from main flow.
- warm core eddy: warm water dominates.
- cold core eddy: cold water dominates.
Be able to identify and describe all 7 continents
North America South America Australia Antarctica Europe Asia Africa
From a global map be able to identify the following bodies of water.
Pacific Ocean. Red Sea. Persian gulf
Atlantic Ocean. Yellow Sea. North Sea
Indian Ocean. Hudson Bay. Weddell sea
Arctic Ocean. Black Sea. Arabian Sea
Gulf of Mexico. Caspian Sea. Baltic Sea
Bering sea. Caribbean Sea. Bay of Bengal
Mediterranean Sea. Japan sea
Identify and describe: California and Kuroshio Current
6
Gulf Stream and canary currents
7
Peru and eastern Australia currents
8
Brazil and Benguela Current
9
Algulhas and Western Australia currents
1
North and south equatorial current
2
West wind drift
3
With regards to El Niño: What ocean currents are interrupted?
El Niño: when trade winds slow, upwelling stops.
What happens to the trade winds to cause this effect?
1
What happens to the eastern pacific temperatures during an El Niño?
2
What is La Niña?
Excess trade winds create excess upwelling.
What atmospheric signal identifies an El Niño or La Niña?
Southern oscillation: atmospheric signal that identifies El Niño or La Niña.
ENSO: El Niño southern oscillation
Regarding salinity and temperature of the ocean:
How does salinity and temperature affect density of seawater?
4
What is Caballing?
2 oceans if combined, density of 2 similar water masses is raised.
What is the thermohaline circulation and what is causing it?
(Temperature and salinity) influence sub-surface circulations.
Distributes excess heat.
Regarding general ocean circulations:
How and where are Deep bottom waters formed?
6
What are the countercurrents and undercurrents?
7
Where would you find the Cromwell current?
Counter flow below surface found at equator
What are Langmuir circulations?
Swirling eddies caused by surface winds.
What unit is ocean flow usually measured in?
1
