U2L4 Ocean Currents Flashcards
What are surface currents? What are they caused by?
Surface currents flow through all ocean basins in the top few hundred meters of water. Surface currents are caused by wind blowing horizontally across the water.
Surface currents form ____ in each major ocean basin.
gyres
How do gyres flow in the Northern Hemisphere?
In the Northern Hemisphere, the gyres flow clockwise, with warm water moving heat from the equator toward the North Pole. As the water moves north to higher latitudes, it cools. Cold water is returned to equatorial regions when it flows south from the North Pole to lower latitudes. The opposite occurs in ocean basins in the Southern Hemisphere.
What is the definition of surface current?
Ocean current caused by wind that moves horizontally near the surface
What is the definition of gyre?
System of currents in an ocean basin
How do surface currents affect climate?
Surface currents redistribute heat from equatorial regions to polar regions, which affects climate and weather.
Example for more understanding:
For example, when a current, such as the Gulf Stream in the Atlantic Ocean, brings warm water north, it affects the climate of certain regions. Temperatures in the winter in the United Kingdom are more moderate compared to temperatures at the same latitude in Canada.
How do major ocean currents affect the climate?
The ocean and the atmosphere are definitely connected, as both wind and ocean currents move warm water toward the poles and cold water to the equators, which then affects the weather in those areas.
Describe the Gulf Stream.
The Gulf Stream, a large current of water that flows northward along the East Coast of North America, one of the most recognized currents in the world, with its warmer temperatures, blue color, and rapid motion. The Gulf Stream is what keeps winters of the United Kingdom and Northern Europe relatively mild, thanks to all that warm water that it brings.
Describe the El Niño and La Niña.
El Niño and La Niña, the warm and cool phases of a recurring climate pattern across the tropical Pacific, which leads to variations in the ocean’s temperature, creating complex weather patterns all over the world—disruptions of temperature, precipitation, and winds! There are even more thunderstorms, or convection, meaning more ways that ocean currents can impact our climate!
What type of currents usually lead to warmer temperatures on land?
Warm water currents that run along the coast
What type of currents usually lead to cooler air over land?
Cold water currents that run along the coast
Where do deep currents flow in the ocean?
Deep currents flow in the deep ocean
What are deep currents caused by?
They are caused by differences in density between water masses.
Example for further understanding:
Cold, salty, dense water sinks vertically near the poles and moves horizontally through the ocean, resurfacing in different areas.
What do deep currents move?
Heat and water throughout the ocean
The circulation pattern of deep currents is often referred to as the ____ ____ _____ ___.
global ocean conveyor belt.
