OCE1001 Ch. 7

A. Agulhas Current B. Benguela Current C. California Current D. Canary Current E. West Australian Current

A. Agulhas Current

A. California Current B. Canary Current C. Gulf Stream D. North Atlantic Current E. North Equatorial Current in the Atlantic Ocean

A. California Current

A. Gulf of Alaska B. Indian C. North Atlantic D. South Atlantic E. South Pacific

A. Gulf of Alaska

Which of the following is a western boundary current?

Brazil Current

A. thermohaline circulation B. density-driven circulation C. Antarctic Bottom Water D. Kuroshio Current E. North Atlantic Deep Water

D. Kuroshio Current

The loss of heat from the ocean surface, resulting in a lowered temperature, causes ocean water to become __________.

denser

Deep ocean currents are driven primarily by ________ .

density differences

In the northern hemisphere, Ekman transport pushes surface water to the right of the wind direction.

true

Monsoons are seasonal pressure systems that develop at lower latitudes over continents, which cause changes in seasonal winds and precipitation patterns.

true

Western boundary currents such as the Gulf Stream transport warm water from the tropics towards higher latitudes.

true

Under which conditions are droughts and wildfires common in Australia?

under El Niño conditions

Deep ocean water masses have characteristic temperatures and salinities.

true

Dynamic topography can be used to determine current direction and velocity.

true

The actual movement of surface water due to Ekman transport in the Northern Hemisphere is about __________.

45° to the right of wind direction

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.

The arrangement of water masses in the southern Atlantic Ocean from the surface to the bottom is:

Antarctic Intermediate Water, North Atlantic Deep Water, Antarctic Bottom Water.

Surface ocean currents ___. are influenced by Coriolis effect form large rotating gyres in the major ocean basins transfer large amounts of heat from the high latitudes toward the equator are driven by winds

Are influenced by Coriolis effect Form large rotating gyres in the major ocean basins Are driven by winds

A. Australian drought B. decreased fish stock in coastal Peru C. flooding rains in southeastern U.S. D. Peruvian upwelling stops E. strong trade winds

E. strong trade winds

Of the following statements about deep-ocean currents, which is/are true? Deep-ocean currents contain water that is high in oxygen. The volume of water involved in the downward movement of deep-ocean currents is equal to the flow of 100 Amazon-sized rivers. Deep-ocean currents are important regulators of global climate. Deep-ocean currents are initiated by downwelling of cold, dense water near Antarctica and in the North Atlantic Ocean. Deep-ocean currents often travel faster than ocean surface currents. Deep-ocean circulation is often referred to as thermohaline flow.

Everything except Deep-ocean currents often travel faster than ocean surface currents

The current in the northwestern part of the North Atlantic Subtropical Gyre that transports warm water toward the North Atlantic is called the __________.

Gulf Stream

Which of the following is not an eastern boundary current?

Gulf Stream

What is the Walker Circulation Cell?

It is the path that air takes as it moves from high to low pressure, and back to high pressure, in the South Pacific under normal conditions.

Identify the mismatched pair from the choices below. Kuroshio Current, California Current Labrador Current, Humboldt Current Brazil Current, Benguela Current Agulhas Current, West Australia Current Canary Current, Gulf Stream

Labrador Current, Humboldt Current

A deep and powerful southward subsurface current that flows under the Gulf Stream in the North Atlantic is the __________.

North Atlantic Deep Water

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

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

Of the following surface currents, which one(s) flow from south to north?

Peru Current the Gulf Stream Kuroshio Current

The West Wind Drift (Antarctic Circumpolar Current) is a part of which of the following subtropical gyres? South Atlantic Subtropical Gyre Indian Ocean Subtropical Gyre North Atlantic Subtropical Gyre North Pacific Subtropical Gyre South Pacific Subtropical Gyre

South Atlantic Subtropical Gyre Indian Ocean Subtropical Gyre South Pacific Subtropical Gyre

The deepest and most dense water mass in the world ocean is formed in the __________________.

Southern Ocean

What would you expect weather to be like on the eastern coast of Australia if the western coast of South America were experiencing unusually warm, wet weather?

The eastern coast of Australia would be experiencing unusually dry weather.

Of the following surface currents, which one(s) flow generally from west to east? California Current West Wind Drift North Pacific Current North Equatorial Current East Australian Current Equatorial Counter Current

West Wind Drift North Pacific Current Equatorial Counter Current

Of the following locations, where would upwelling be expected to occur? Where there is a shallowly submerged sea floor obstruction, such as a tablemount In areas of offshore winds In an area where there is a well-developed pycnocline Where there is a sharp bend in a coastline In areas of converging surface currents In areas of diverging surface currents, such as along the equator

Where there is a shallowly submerged sea floor obstruction, such as a tablemount In areas of offshore winds Where there is a sharp bend in a coastline In areas of diverging surface currents, such as along the equator

Why does upwelling occur along the west coast of South America under normal conditions?

Winds moving westward in the South Pacific drive ocean currents toward the west; deep water rises to replace water driven westward.

The thermocline is _________________.

a steep temperature gradient in the ocean that separates deeper cold water from warmer upper water

During a strong El Nino event, the news media might be expected to cover __________.

a tropical cyclone in Hawaii or Tahiti

Warm ocean currents ___.

are warmer than the surrounding water

When a meander from the Gulf Stream pinches off and isolates a body of water within the North Atlantic gyre, the body of water is called a:

cold core ring

Match the term or person with the appropriate phrase. California Current

cold current, northern hemisphere, temperate latitudes

Match the term or person with the appropriate phrase. Canary Current

cold current, northern hemisphere, temperate latitudes

Match the term or person with the appropriate phrase. West Wind Drift

cold current, polar latitudes, southern hemisphere

Match the term or person with the appropriate phrase. Benguela Current

cold current, southern hemisphere, temperate latitudes

The worldwide effects of El Niño include all the following except :

drought in the U.S. Gulf coastal states.

Equatorial currents that are part of the subtropical gyres flow ___. Equatorial counter currents between the gyres flow ___ .

east to west; west to east

Which direction do ocean currents in the South Pacific move under El Niño conditions?

eastward

Deep ocean water does not travel across the equator.

false

Surface currents affect about 90% of the world's ocean water.

false

Surface or wind-driven currents move water primarily in a vertical direction in the ocean.

false

The Gulf Stream moves water away from the equator; the Benguela Current moves some of this same water back toward the equator.

false

The West Wind Drift occurs at 60°N around the Arctic Circle.

false

The densest ocean water is North Atlantic Deep Water.

false

During winter months, monsoon winds over the Indian Ocean:

flow from land to sea and are dry.

Cool ocean currents ___.

generally flow from high latitudes towards the equator

A large system of rotating ocean currents, usually driven by the major wind belts, is called a(n) __________.

gyre

What is the overall effect of the stronger than normal trade winds typical of La Niña conditions?

lowering of the South Pacific ocean temperature from normal conditions

Match the term or description with the appropriate phrase. upwelling

movement of water from the bottom to the top of the water column

Match the term or description with the appropriate phrase. Ekman transport

net water movement to the left or right of the direction of the wind

Match the term or person with the appropriate phrase. Gulf Stream

northern hemisphere, temperate latitudes, warm current

Match the term or person with the appropriate phrase. Kuroshio Current

northern hemisphere, temperate latitudes, warm current

The subtropical gyres ___.

play a large role in climate

An indirect method of measuring ocean current is the use of __________.

radar altimeters

Deep ocean currents ___.

result from changes in water density (due to temperature and salt content)

Downwelling may be the result of winds blowing parallel to a coastline or the convergence of surface currents.

true

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

Sources of deep water in the ocean include all of the following except: Antarctic convergence. Arctic convergence. subtropical convergences. southern subpolar latitudes. northern subpolar latitudes.

subtropical convergences.

Thermohaline circulation in the ocean is driven primarily by differences in __________ and __________ among water masses.

temperature; salinity

All are true of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current except :

the Antarctic Circumpolar Current contributes to the development of Antarctic bottom water in the Weddell Sea.

In comparison to wind energy, ocean currents can generate more clean, renewable energy because __________.

the density of water is greater than that of air

Deep ocean currents often move cold, dense water away from the poles.

true

What is the Southern Oscillation?

the swapping of high and low pressure zones in the South Pacific under El Niño conditions

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.

Deep ocean water can be enriched in oxygen when it is mixed with surface water.

true

Warm core rings and cold core rings are associated with __________.

western boundary currents

Upwelling occurs in all the following locations except :

where deep-ocean currents are formed.

Surface ocean currents are driven primarily by ________ and modified by ________.

wind; the Coriolis effect and land