Chapter 7 Quiz

Which of the following is not an eastern boundary current?

Gulf Stream

In subtropical gyres, western boundary currents have all of the following characteristics, EXCEPT:

They are relatively wide

The East Australian Current is the western boundary current of the South Pacific Subtropical Gyre.

True

Which of the following currents does not belong with the others as part of the same gyre?

the Agulhas Current

Identify the mismatched pair.

Labrador Current, Humboldt Current

A geostrophic current is one that (ideally) flows

Parallel to the center of a gyre

Use the map of Pacific and Atlantic Ocean currents shown below to correctly identify the following ocean currents and gyres.

A. subpolar gyre B. subtropical gyre C. Gulf Stream Current D. Benguela Current E. California Current F. Canary Current G. Peru Current H. Antarctic Circumpolar Current (West Wind Drift) I. Brazil Current

The diagram below shows a generalized cross-sectional view across the Atlantic Ocean. Correctly match the letters with the corresponding water masses and associated features.

A. thermocline and pycnocline B. warmest water C. seasonally warm water D. Antarctic Bottom Water E. Antarctic Intermediate Water F. North Atlantic Deep Water G. upwelling

The Peru Current is a ________ current that flows ________.

Cold; North

The California Current is a ________ current that flows ________.

Cold; South

Convection cells driven by the relatively weak winds near the center of gyres are called:

Langmuir circulation

The atmospheric circulation cell in the equatorial South Pacific created by the movement of air between high- and low-pressure regions is called the:

Walker cell

The Gulf Stream is a ________ current that flows ________.

Warm; North

Thermohaline circulation is driven by:

density

The following block diagram shows coastlines in the Northern Hemisphere that are influenced by coastal winds (not shown). Based on the flow of surface waters due to Ekman transport, identify the correct coastal wind direction in each diagram.

A. wind blowing parallel to the coast and toward the top of the diagram B. wind blowing parallel to the coast and toward the bottom of the diagram

Surface ocean currents are caused by ______________, while deep currents are the result of ________________.

Surface wind belts, density differences

Which of the following is an example of a western boundary current of a subtropical gyre

The Kuroshio current

In relation to ocean circulation, a gyre is:

a large, circular-moving loop of surface water

Thermohaline flow is a term that describes:

deep ocean current movement

Western intensification is:

due to a gyre's apex being located to the west of the ocean basin's geographic center

Vertical mixing of surface and deep seawater takes place in the low latitudes

false

Which of the following is NOT true about El Niño events?

fishing along Peru and Ecuador is much better

Deep ocean water in the Indian Ocean includes Red Sea water which has

high salinity and low oxygen

Deep water circulation in the Pacific Ocean is influenced by

hydrothermal vents from the East Pacific Rise

The location where water flow uninterrupted between the Pacific, the Atlantic, and the Indian Oceans is

in the Southern Ocean

Compared to Antarctic Bottom Water, North Atlantic Deep Water is:

lower in oxygen

The El Niño Southern Oscillation can best be described as:

the relationship between sea surface temperature and high altitude pressure.

Strong upwelling occurs in all of the following except:

where deep ocean water currents are formed