Global Winds/Ocean Currents

Properties of current depending on the location and interactions with other currents, wind, gyres etc.

- Near the shore surface, currents are driven by wind and tides. This draw water back and forth as the water level falls and rises -In the open ocean, the wind is the force behind surface currents. -When cold and warm currents meet they often create rough waters and dangerous zones in the oceans. -Example: The Labrador current and gulf stream meet. Labrador current is cold and of low salinity Gulf stream is warm and salty

The rotation of the Earth and the direction of winds at different latitudes that are caused by this rotation.

- Winds drive ocean currents, create waves, and produce gyres. Winds left Winds right. -Trade winds: a wind blowing steadily towards the equator from the north-east in the northern hemisphere or the south-east in the southern hemisphere, especially at sea. - Air moving from high to low pressure. Areas of high to low pressure around earth create WIND. - Coriolis effect: Earth is rotating to the east. The Constant spin of the earth creates a Coriolis effect that makes wind and oceans deflect to the right. Winds in the southern hemisphere deflected to the left. AIR AND WATER ARE DEFLECTED.

gulf stream and global warming

-If polar caps actually melt, salt content in the water of Greenland will fall. North Atlantic current would not be heavy enough and will not sink. -The gulf stream could come to a standstill due to climate change.

Abiotic factors that affect the currents worldwide and how these interactions affect one another.

-In a marine ecosystem, abiotic factors would include salinity and ocean currents. -Abiotic factors include sunlight, temperature, moisture, wind or water currents, soil type, and nutrient availability. -the interactions between these abiotic factors dictate the movements of currents and patterns of gyres. It affects the deep ocean currents and the surface currents.

Ekman Transport - the properties of upwelling and downwelling, how wind direction affects the interactions, as well as the position on the Earth.

A theoretical model of the effect on the water of wind blowing over the ocean Winds, friction, and the Coriolis effect act together to create the patterns of surface currents. The ocean does not move directly in direction of the wind it moves 45 degrees to the right (Northern Hemisphere). Water at lower layers drift to the right or left, though not as fast as layers above it due to pressure. Shore winds moving down across the water and from the shore out to the open ocean create upwellings.

1) How global currents are interconnected with nutrients, fisheries, EEZ's, zonation etc. Basically tying in previous knowledge to predict or describe current or future events.

Because of different interactions of winds, where you get big waves, inflections, and fisheries. It is not just one thing that makes a country have good EEZ. Coriolis effect + Ekman transport +Upwelling +Wind and Ocean currents affect different geological features of EEZ around the country.

Deep-ocean currents

Deep ocean currents are driven primarily by changes in the density in seawater. As water moves towards the NP, it gets colder it also has a higher concentration of salt from crystals. Coldwater is denser so it sinks and warmer surface water takes it's placed, setting up a vertical current called thermohaline circulation.

Global warming's effect on the ocean conveyor system, winds, nutrients, etc.

Gulf Stream: Caused by constant South East Trade Wind Important for the European climate. Warm and fastest ocean current on earth. - Determines the weather and climate, it transports heats to poles. -Southeast Trade Wind drives warm surface water to the northwest into the Gulf of Mexico where heats up to 30 degrees. -Turning of the earth & west winds then direct the stream to split up. -One part flows south and another east to canary current and north as it releases a lot of heat at the North Atlantic current. Water becomes colder and salt content and density rise because of evaporation. - many species use it to travel from the Caribbean to northern areas. warm air is also brought to the shores of Europe. importance: Gulf stream off the east coast. Keep London England warm. Compared to Moscow surrounded by land does not have Gulf stream to keep it warm. Some areas of the globe warmer due to currents offshore Some areas colder due to currents.

How currents/gyres are similar and different in regards to motion, direction, temperature, density, salinity, geographical location etc. Make sure to include evidence for these reasons.

Gyres are large circulating currents that move the surface of the ocean while currents are what gyres are made up of. Currents are continuous directed movement of seawater that is moved by the wind due to the rotation of the earth along with the Coriolis effect, temperature differences, and salinity differences. (clockwise in the northern while counterclockwise in the southern) Currents within the gyres move the cooler water closer to the poles where it then sinks as the salinity increases as well as the density. The water moves along the global conveyor belt and then begins to warm up once it reaches the gulf stream which then moves the water to the poles again to continue this cycle.

High and low-pressure systems, how they are similar and different, what location on the Earth does to both including the winds and water.

Hot air rises, cold air sinks. When high and low pressure comes together, cold subduct under hot.

How warm and cold currents within gyres move water around the globe. Additionally, what this movement does for ocean properties (Temperature, Density, Salinity etc,)

Large rotating currents that start near the equator are called subtropical gyres. Examples: the North and South Pacific Subtropical Gyres, the North and South Atlantic Subtropical Gyres, and the Indian Ocean Subtropical Gyre. SURFACE CURRENTS: Driven by wind and tides - warmer as they are at the surface, less dense DEEP OCEAN CURRENTS: Driven primarily by changes in seawater density, - salty, dense and colder.

Downwellings and Ekman transport

Occurs when the water on the surface of the sea becomes denser than the water beneath it and so it sinks. Seawater gets denser when it gets colder or saltier. Upwelling away from the shore. Downwelling towards the Shore. Northern Hemisphere. Currents are important as they create upwellings to bring nutrients around the globe. Where Ekman transport moves surface waters toward the coast, the water piles up and sinks in the process known as downwelling.Where Ekman transport moves surface waters toward the coast, the water piles up and sinks in the process known as coastal downwelling.

ocean conveyor belt (thermohaline circulation)

Ocean conveyor belt: Worldwide circulation system Warm water has a lower density and rises, while cold water sinks. As depth increases, density, salinity increases. s the global circulation and exchange of warm surface and cold deep water in the earth's oceans

Students should be able to understand how and which winds produce currents/gyres and why they have the properties that they do (Direction, Temperature etc.)

Ocean currents are driven by many sources: wind, tides, change in density, rotation of the earth There are surface currents (top 10% of ocean water) and deep ocean currents (mobilize 90% of oceans water). In the open ocean, the wind is the major force behind surface currents. As the wind blows over the ocean it drags the top layers with it. Moving water pulls on the layers below and those below.

Gyres

Patterns of surface currents all over the earth form big loops called gyres. They travel clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and counterclockwise in the Southern Hemisphere. This happens because of the way the Earth's Rotation affects wind patterns that give rise to these currents. As the earth spins air moving from the equator to the North pole is deflect eastward (to the right) Air moving back down is deflected westward (to the left) Mirror image happens in the southern hemisphere

subtropical gyres

Subtropical gyres form between the polar and equatorial regions. These are placid ocean areas thousands of kilometers in diameter. The ocean water generally stays in one place while the currents of the gyre circulate around it.

surface currents

Surface currents get more wind and warmer causing them to move in circular motions more and they are very high in temperature. The Coriolis effect affects these currents

Coriolis effect

This is the Coriolis effect. The major streams of wind form loop-like patterns around ocean basins. The winds push the ocean beneath them into the same rotating gyres. Because water holds onto heat more effectively than air these currents redistribute warmth around the globe. The sun's heat the oceans and atmospheres producing wind, when winds blow over oceans they experience friction which produces waves and currents.

Tropical gyres

Tropical gyres form near the equator. Winds are the primary creators of currents. Tropical gyres tend to flow in a more east-west pattern.

Upwellings and Ekman transport

Upwellings: When wind blowing across the ocean surface pushes water away from an area and subsurface water rises up to replace the diverging surface water. Water that rises to the surface from upwelling is colder and rich in nutrients and these "fertilize" surface waters, meaning that these surface waters often have high biological productivity. Coastal upwelling occurs where Ekman transport moves surface waters away from the coast; surface waters are replaced by water that wells up from below.

high pressure system

a large body of circulating air with high pressure at its center and lower pressure outside of the system

low pressure system

area with lower atmospheric pressure than its surrounding areas; this makes air from surrounding areas to flow into the low, the end result of which is probably cloudiness and precipitation

subpolar gyres

form in the polar regions of the planet: wind drives the currents in subpolar regions away from coastal areas and these surface currents are replaced by cold-nutrient rich water in a process called upwelling.

nutrients and global warming

with climate change, coastal favorable winds are expected to intensify (said by scientists). Upwelling winds are controlled by ocean high-pressure systems, which may strengthen with global warming-induced shifts in the global atmospheric circulation.