Essentials of Oceanography, Trujillo Chapter 7

Question 1

What are the 2 main ways ocean circulation occurs

Answer 1

Density difference and wind

Question 2

What currents are produced from wind circulation

Answer 2

surface currents, horizontal movement of water

Question 3

What currents are produced from density difference circulation

Answer 3

Deep currents, vertical movement of water

Question 4

What percent of wind energy is transferred into ocean currents

Answer 4

2 percent

Question 5

What are gyres

Answer 5

Large circular circulation of ocean water

Question 6

Where are gyres found

Answer 6

the centers of gyres are located at subtropical latitudes(subtropical gyres), and subpolar gyres

Question 7

What are the 5 main subtropical gyres

Answer 7

North Atlantic, South Atlantic, North Pacific, South Pacific, and Indian gyres

Question 8

What are equatorial currents

Answer 8

currents created by the trade winds at the equators that form form the equatorial boundary current of subtropical gyres. 2 main types: North equatorial current and South equatorial current

Question 9

What comprises the western boundary currents of gyres

Answer 9

Warm equatorial currents

Question 10

What comprises the Northern and Southern boundary currents of gyres

Answer 10

Prevailing westerlies creates Northern and Southern Boundary currents

Question 11

What are eastern boundary currents of gyres

Answer 11

When currents flow back across the ocean basin,
the Coriolis effect and continental barriers turn them toward the equator,

Question 12

What are equitorial countercurrents

Answer 12

volume of water is driven westward by
the north and south equatorial currents and piles up water on the western side of an
ocean basin near the equator, creating higher sea level there As a result, this bulge
of water flows downhill toward the east under the influence of gravity. This current,
called the equatorial countercurrent, is a narrow, easterly flow of water that occurs counter to and between the adjoining equatorial currents

Question 13

What are subpolar gyres

Answer 13

when northern boundary currents move into subpolar latitudes, they are driven in a westerly direction by the polar easterlies and form subpolar gyres that rotate opposite the adjacent subtropical gyres

Question 14

What is the ekman spiral

Answer 14

describes the speed and direction of
flow of surface waters at various depths.

Question 15

What is eekman transport

Answer 15

net 90 degree movement of ocean currents due to coriolis effect and wind

Question 16

What occurs at the center of a gyre

Answer 16

convergence and downwelling

Question 17

What are geostrophic ocean currents

Answer 17

Balance between pressure force and coriolis effect, leading to a large-scale ocean current where the force of the pressure gradient is balanced by the Coriolis effect, causing the water to flow parallel to lines of equal pressure

Question 18

what is caused by geostrophic ocean currents at the center of gyres

Answer 18

Water at the center of the gyres do not flow down the hill and instead flow in a circular pattern around the hill.

Question 19

What is western intesification

Answer 19

due to the hill of water not being exactly in the center of the gyre and it being slightly to the west, western boundary currents are faster and narrower than other currents

Question 20

What is equitorial upwelling

Answer 20

upwelling at the equator due to divergence of water

Question 21

Main current in antarctic waters

Answer 21

Antarctic circumpolar current

Question 22

What causes the ACC to form

Answer 22

strong westerly winds blowing across the Southern Ocean, which push the surface water eastward around Antarctica, creating a continuous current due to the lack of landmass obstructing its flow

Question 23

What is the antarctic ocean current convergence

Answer 23

where colder, denser Antarctic waters
converge with (and sink sharply below) warmer, less-dense sub-Antarctic waters at
about 50 degrees south latitude.

Question 24

What is the east wind drift

Answer 24

a surface current propelled by the polar easterlies,
moves from an easterly direction around the margin of the Antarctic continent.

Question 25

What is the antarctic ocean current divergence

Answer 25

a divergence of currents along the boundary between the ACC and the east wind drift

Question 26

What is the gulf stream

Answer 26

best studied ocean current. It
moves northward along the East Coast of the United States, warming coastal states
and moderating winters in these and northern European regions

Question 27

describe downwelling and upwelling conditions at high latitudes

Answer 27

downwelling and upwelling happens often at high latitudes due to the absence of a pycnocline

Question 28

What is antarctic bottom water

Answer 28

Extremely dense ocean water formed at southern areas around the antarctica continent due to rapid winter freezing

Question 29

What does global thermohaline circulation cause

Answer 29

formation of global conveyer belt of water caused by thermohaline circulation.

Question 30

Where does the global conveyer belt begin

Answer 30

north atlantic, where cold, salty water becomes dense and sinks to the ocean floor

Question 31

What is the global conveyer belt called

Answer 31

Atlantic meridional overturning current