OCE Ch. 7

Western intensification causes:

All the above effects are the result of western intensification.

Compared to an eastern boundary current in a gyre, which of the following statements is true for a western boundary current?

All the above statements are true of western boundary currents.

Which of the following is the only current that completely circumscribes Earth?

Antarctic Circumpolar

The Benguela Current is an example of which of the following types of currents?

Eastern Boundary Current

The California Current is an example of which of the following types of currents?

Eastern Boundary Current

Which of the following currents is responsible for Peru becoming the largest producer of fish, from the sea, in the world?

Humboldt Current

The observation of a hill of water within all subtropical gyres is an example of which of the following?

Subtropical convergence

Which of the following statements is true of surface ocean currents?

Surface currents form circular patterns in the major ocean basins called "gyres."

Judge the following sentence according to the criteria given below: The temperatures across the Atlantic at different latitudes are much higher in Europe than in North America BECAUSE of the effects of heat transfer from the Gulf Stream.

The assertion and the reason are both correct, and the reason is valid.

Judge the following sentence according to the criteria given below: India's Southwest Monsoon provides abundant precipitation BECAUSE the air brought in from the Indian Ocean is warm and full of moisture.

The assertion and the reason are both correct, and the reason is valid.

Judge the following sentence according to the criteria given below: The Equatorial Countercurrent is much better developed in the Pacific Ocean than in the Atlantic BECAUSE the Pacific Ocean basin is larger and more unobstructed than the Atlantic Ocean.

The assertion and the reason are both correct, and the reason is valid.

The Brazil Current is an example of which of the following types of currents?

Western Boundary Current

The Kuroshio (Japan) Current is an example of which of the following types of currents?

Western Boundary Current

The El Niño Southern Oscillation can best be described as:

the relationship between sea surface temperature and changing atmospheric pressure.

The Ekman spiral is caused by:

the wind and the Coriolis effect

Deep ocean current movement is also known as

thermohaline flow

In the southern hemisphere, the direction of Ekman transport is always:

to the left of the wind direction

Equatorial currents are driven by the:

trade winds

About what percent of the wind's energy is transferred to the ocean surface?

two

Surface waters are pushed away from land and replaced by nutrient-rich bottom water through:

upwelling

Warm core rings and cold core rings are associated with

western boundary currents

Recall that global winds impact the direction of surface ocean currents. Examine the following map showing the Atlantic Ocean off the west coast of Africa. The direction of the surface current and the prevailing wind do not coincide. What can explain this discrepancy? Select the two that apply. -The ocean current is being deflected to the right due to the Coriolis effect. -Because the current is located in the Southern Hemisphere, the subtropical gyre pulls the current in a counterclockwise direction. -The current is being pulled in a clockwise direction because the subtropical gyre is located in the Southern Hemisphere. -The Coriolis effect deflects ocean currents in the Southern Hemisphere to the left due to Earth's rotation.

-Because the current is located in the Southern Hemisphere, the subtropical gyre pulls the current in a counterclockwise direction. -The Coriolis effect deflects ocean currents in the Southern Hemisphere to the left due to Earth's rotation.

Of the following locations, where would upwelling be expected to occur? Choose all that apply. -In areas of diverging surface currents -Where there is a sharp bend in a coastline -In regions with a well-developed pycnocline -In areas of converging surface currents -Where seamounts or tablemounts are present

-In areas of diverging surface currents -Where there is a sharp bend in a coastline -Where seamounts or tablemounts are present

Of the following statements about the Ekman spiral and Ekman transport, which is/are true? Choose all that apply. -In the deeper layers of the Ekman spiral, water can move in a direction opposite of the wind direction. -Ekman transport is the driving force for thermohaline flow. -The Coriolis effect causes surface waters to move at an angle relative to the wind direction. -Ekman transport results in converging surface currents along the equator. -Ekman transport is to the right of the wind direction in the Northern Hemisphere. -Ekman transport can result in both upwelling and downwelling.

-In the deeper layers of the Ekman spiral, water can move in a direction opposite of the wind direction. -The Coriolis effect causes surface waters to move at an angle relative to the wind direction. -Ekman transport is to the right of the wind direction in the Northern Hemisphere. -Ekman transport can result in both upwelling and downwelling.

Of the following gyres, which one(s) flow in a counterclockwise direction? Choose all that apply. -Northern Hemisphere Subpolar Gyres -North Pacific Subtropical Gyre -South Pacific Subtropical Gyre -South Atlantic Subtropical Gyre -North Atlantic Subtropical Gyre -Indian Ocean Subtropical Gyre

-Northern Hemisphere Subpolar Gyres -South Pacific Subtropical Gyre -South Atlantic Subtropical Gyre -Indian Ocean Subtropical Gyre

Of the following surface currents, which one(s) transport large volumes of warm water to higher latitudes? Choose all that apply. -Peru Current -North Pacific Current -the Gulf Stream -Brazil Current -Kuroshio Current -Canary Current

-the Gulf Stream -Brazil Current -Kuroshio Current

To produce a surface current of 1.6 knots in the open ocean, a steady wind of _____ knots would be required.

80

Coastal winds can cause upwelling or downwelling due to which of the following?

Ekman transport

The observation that ships and icebergs in the southern hemisphere float to the left of the wind direction is an example of which of the following?

Ekman transport

Which of the following methods are used to measure deep ocean currents directly?

Free-drifting Argo floats

Which of the following currents contributes to the South Eastern United States being humid?

Gulf Stream

Between summer and winter, which of the following currents reverses its flow direction?

Somali Current

Which of the following Atlantic Subtropical gyre boundary currents is split into two by a large landmass?

South Equatorial Current

Which of the following methods are used to measure ocean surface currents directly?

accidental spills from container ships

Downwelling can result from

converging surface currents

An increase in seawater density can be caused by a ________ in temperature or a/an ________ in salinity.

decrease; increase

Thermohaline circulation is driven by:

density differences

Converging surface waters are areas of ________ and ________ productivity.

downwelling; low

During winter months, monsoon winds over the Indian Ocean:

flow from land to sea and are dry

Which of the following two factors cause geostrophic circulation within a gyre?

gravity and Coriolis effect

Ocean surface currents transfer about ________ of the total amount of heat from the tropics to the poles.

one-third

Which of the following methods are used to measure ocean surface currents indirectly?

pressure gradients

Which of the following methods are used to measure ocean surface currents directly?

radio-transimitting float bottles

Coastal upwelling along the coast of Chile is a result of winds from the ________ turning towards the ________ due to Ekman transport.

south; left

Records indicate that the ocean is warming faster in the Arctic polar regions than elsewhere. If that continues, a possible consequence could be

slowing of deep ocean circulation, resulting in lower oxygen levels in deep water