Important Ocean Stuff Flashcards
West Wind drift flows which direction, along which continent?
East; Antarctica
Gulf Stream is fed by which current(s)?
Florida, and North Equatorial Currents
Which direction does the North Atlantic Gyre rotate?
clockwise
The Sargasso Sea is bordered by what on the North, South, East, West?
NORTH: North atlantic current
SOUTH: North Equatorial Current
EAST: Mid-Atlantic Ridge rising up from the sea floor
WEST: Gulf stream
Define Sargassum
a brown seaweed collected by the water motion and held within the gyre
The Benguela Current moves which direction
Northward up the African coast, completing the south atlantic gyre that rotates counterclockwise
Which way does the South Atlantic gyre rotate?
counterclockwise
The northeast trade winds push the water in which direction? What is this current called?
west, and northeast; North Equatorial Current
The North Pacific Current, and Drift is created by what?
The westerlies
What does CTD stand for?
Conductivity Temperature-Depth
What do CTDs do?
record salinity by directly measuring the electrical conductivity and temp. of the seawater
What is a SLOCUM glider?
an independent, long range instrument, designed to monitor water properties independently for up to 5 years
What do satellites monitor?
surface water properties such as temp, salinity, elevation, waves, currents, and some marine life
Why does the air above earth move?
less-dense air rises away from earth and more dense air sinks toward earth
Define tradewinds
the surface winds between 30 degrees north and 30 degrees south are deflected relative to Earth, BLOWING FROM NORTH AND EAST IN THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE AND DROM THE SOUTH TO EAST IN THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE
whats another name for the westerlies
prevailing winds
what are the westerlies?
the deflected surface flow produces winds that blow from the south to the west, while between 30 degrees south and 60 degrees south, they blow from the north to the west
what are the polar easterlies?
between 60 degrees north and the north pole. The wind that blow from the north and east, while between 60 degrees south and south pole, they blow from the south and the east
the area of rising air at the equator is called what?
The Doldrums, or inter tropical convergence zone (ITCZ)
what are the high pressure areas at 30 degrees north and south known as?
horse latitudes
an onshore breeze occurs at what time of day?
during the day
on offshore breeze occurs at what time of day?
at night
define gyre
large, circular, wind-driven, oceanic flows
in the north atlantic and north pacific the currents flowing from low to high latitudes on the western sides of the gyres tend to be narrower and stronger than those on the eastern side. What is this known as?
the Western Intensification
the ocean is mainly in what hemisphere?
Southern
the south east trade winds push the water west, creating what current?
South Equatorial Current
what are the 3 major oceanic divergence zones?
2 tropical divergences (on either side of the equator), and the Antarctic divergence
what do surface convergence zones produce?
downwellings that transports oxygen-rich surface water to depth
what is the most common force that creates water waves?
wind
explain how waves are formed.
as the wind blows across a smooth water surface the friction between air and water stretches the surface, resulting in small wrinkles or ripples.
what is the restoring source for small waves?
surface tension
what is the restoring force for larger waves?
gravity
what is the highest part of the wave?
the crest
what is the lowest part of the wave?
the trough
what is the distance between 2 successive crests or 2 successive troughs called?
wave length
