Ocean currents Flashcards
What % of the total heat that is transferred from the tropics to the poles is transferred by oceans?
20%
What is a gyer?
A circular pattern of ocean currents
When are gyers produced?
As masses of water move from one climate zone to another
Why are all ocean currents similar?
They are created by surface winds generated by Global atmospheric circulation
Where are the strongest currents?
On the western side oceans
Give an example of the strongest ocean currents?
North Atlantic drift
Where and when is the transfer of heat from low to high latitudes particularly noticeably?
Between latitudes 40 degrees and 65 degrees north and south on the western sides of continents in winter when warm winds blow on shore on the western sides of continents
Why do cold currents have less effect on land temperature? Give an exception
They are usually off shore winds. One exception to this is the Labrador current of the east coast of North America.
