Open Oceans Flashcards
Which way is the Coriolis force deflected to in the Northern Hemisphere?
The right.
Which way is the Coriolis force deflected to in the Southern Hemisphere?
The left.
What does an Ekman Spiral create? Where does it face?
Ekman transport, and it always starts 45 degrees in the direction of the wind, and ends 180 degrees from the wind direction.
How many gyres are there?
5.
What is the inter-tropical convergence zone?
A belt of low pressure which circles the earth, where the trade winds of the Northern and Southern hemispheres come together.
Where is evaporation less than precipitation?
Along the equator.
Where are higher amounts of chlorophyll found in the surface ocean?
Along the equator due to equatorial upwelling when wind causes divergence of water.
What are the approximate sizes of warm and cold core rings?
~1000km.
What are major surface ocean currents driven by?
A combined effect of:
+Major global wind patterns (heating of the earth by the sun)
+Latitudinal variation in the Coriolis force.