Oceanic Circulation Flashcards
How much of the total transfer of heat within the energy budget is from oceanic circulation
20%
What is a grye
Circular pattern of currents that each ocean has- they are produced as masses of water move from one climatic zone to another
How are ocean currents set in motion
By the prevailing surface winds associated with the general atmospheric circulation
What is the direction of water movement also deflected by
The coriolis force
Where are the worlds major ocean currents particularly dominant
Along the western sides of the ocean basins and those that are less well defined and relatively weak on the eastern sides
How is heat transferred
By warm ocean currents, such as the North Atlantic Drift in the Atlantic Ocean, from low to high latitudes
Where is the warming influence of the ocean particularly dominant
In winter between latitudes of 40 degrees and 65 degrees where winds blow onshore on the western sides of continents
Why do cold ocean currents have less effect upon temperature
Because they usually occur under offshore winds (one exception is the Labrador current of the east coast of North America)
