Waves Tides and Currents Flashcards
Ocean Circulation can occur in the form of?
waves, currents, and gyres
What drives the wind?
Sunlight Energy
What is the purpose of ocean circulation?
Stabilize the earths climate
When energy passes through a wave, How do the water molecules move?
Up and Down. Vertical circular orbits
Surface currents make up what percent of the ocean?
10%
What causes surface currents?
Wind
Do surface currents cross the equator?
No
Due to the Coriolis Effect what way do the surface currents go in the Northern Hemisphere?
To the right
Do to the Coriolis Effect what way do the surface currents go in the Southern Hemisphere?
To the left
What are gyres?
Large circular currents
What causes gyres?
Accumulating water movement and energy from surface currents
What percent do deep water ocean currents make up of the ocean?
90%
The great ocean conveyor is driven by what type of circulation?
Thermohaline circulation
What drives Thermohaline circulation?
Salinity and Temperature
Do deep water currents cross the equator?
Yes
How do deep water currents work?
The water gets heated up at he equator and goes towards the poles and cools down causing it to drop back down.
Why is upwelling important?
Carries cold nutrient rich water from the deep ocean to the surface
Why is downwelling important?
Carries oxygen down to the sea floor
What is the crest of a wave?
Highest part of a wave
What is the trough of a wave?
the lowest part of a wave
What is wavelength?
The distance between crests of waves
How do you determine the height of a wave?
It is the vertical distance from crest to trough
What can cause a wave?
Mostly wind but also earthquakes, volcano, and gravity pull
What does the size of a wave depend on?
Strength (wind speed), Fetch (the distance) and Duration (The length of the gust)
Why are waves important?
Shape the coastlines, return oxygen to water and stir up food for filter feeders.
What type of wave are white caps with a flat/gentle slope?
Spilling wave
What type of wave are breakers with a gradual slope?
Plunging wave
What type of wave normally curls over forming a tunnel until the wave breaks
Plunging wave
What type of wave are shore breakers and have a steep sloping seafloor?
Surging waves
What type of wave tends to explode on the beach?
Surging waves
What causes tsunamis?
earthquakes
What are tides?
Long period waves
What causes tides?
the gravitational pull of the moon and sun and Inertia forces
high tide
the state of the tide when at its highest level.
Low tide
The time at which the tide reaches its lowest level
tidal range
The difference in levels of ocean water at high tide and low tide
Gravitational pull of the sun and the moon affect the earth on which side?
The side facing the moon
Inertia forces affect the earth on which side?
The side not facing the moon
What is a tidal bulge?
When the pull of gravity causes water levels to rise and create a bulge
Which type of tide causes high tides?
Perigee Tides
Which type of tide causes low tides?
Apogee Tides
The moon being farthest away causes what type of tides
Apogee
The moon being closest to earth causes what type of tides?
Perigee
How long does it take for water at shore to go from high to low?
6hours and 12.5 min
How often do high tides occur?
12 hours and 25 mins apart
Diurnal Tides
one high tide and one low tide daily
Semi diurnal Tides
a tidal pattern with two high and two low tides each day
Mixed Tides
tidal pattern during a lunar day with 2 unequal high tides and 2 unequal low tides
What causes Spring tides?
The sun and moon are aligned
When do spring tides occur?
new and full moon
Which type of tide has the highest tidal range?
spring
What causes a neap tide?
When the sun and moon oppose eachother
When do neap tides occur?
Moon’s quarter phases
Which type of tide has the lowest tidal range?
neap
