Chapter 8 test

The ultimate source of most of the energy for ocean currents is

The sun

A system of four currents completing a flow circuit around the periphery of an ocean basin is collectively called:

a gyre

A monsoon is

a local seasonal weather patter that causes winters to be very dry

The sun heats the Earth unevenly because

all of these

Scientists use all of the following methods/equipment to study ocean currents EXCEPT

none of these

The layer of the atmosphere next to the ground is the ___. The layer that extends into space is the ____.

none of these

___ can result when an air mass rapidly cools, causing water vapor to condense

rain or snow

Countercurrents and undercurrents generally move ___ than the surface current above, and in ____ direction.

slower; the opposite

The Coriolis effect is caused by

the rotation of the earth

Upwelling areas are

two of these

Convection is caused by

warm air rising and cool air flowing in to replace it

Generally the fastest and deepest currents are

wetern boundary currents

The immediate source of surface currents is

wind

Cyclones form where

wind gets drawn into a low pressure area at the Earth's surface, forming a spiral pattern

The earth's rotation influences currents by a "force" known as

Coriolis effect

About ____% of the sunlight that reaches the atmosphere makes it to the Earth's surface

50

Air is about ____% nitrogen

78

Currents tend to move in large ____ patterns in the northern hemisphere

clockwise

The densest water in ocean currents is the

coldest and saltiest

As the amount of water vapor in air increases, the air's density

decreases