Chapter Seven- Study Guide

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

Ekman Transport

Western intensification causes:

All the above effects are the result of western intensification.

Based on the graph, which of the following has the lowest temperature?

Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW)

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

Antarctic Circumpolar

Which of the following currents contributes to the South Western United States being arid?

California Current

The california current is an example of which of the following types of currents?

Eastern boundary current

The false-color map of sea surface temperatures shown below is an example of which of the following features?

El-Nino conditions

Geostrophic circulation within a gyre is driven by:

Gravity and Coriolis Effect

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

Gulf Stream

Based on the graph, which of the following has the highest density?

Mediterranean Intermediate Water (MIW)

Based on the graph, which of the following has the highest temperature?

North Atlantic Central Surface Water (NACSW)

Which of the following is not a source of deep water in the ocean?

Subtropical Convergences

The El Nino Southern Oscillation can best be described as:

The relationship between sea surface temperature and changing atmospheric pressure.

Which of the following is true of surface water circulation near Antarctica?

Two circumpolar currents dominate it, one current that moves water to the east and one current that moves water to the west.

Compared to western boundary currents, eastern boundary currents are:

broad and slow

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

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

decrease;increase

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

deeper currents, increased current velocity, warmer water, and narrower current are all true of western boundary currents

Thermohaline circulation is driven by:

density differences

1) Deep ocean currents are driven primarily by ________ and caused by ________.

density differences; differences in salinity and temperature

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 type of current flow moves in a circular path around a subtropical convergence, reflecting Ekman transport, gravity, and the Coriolis effect?

geostrophic circulation

Deep-water currents move ________ volumes of water and are much ________ than surface currents.

larger;slower

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

lower in oxygen

Warm currents flowing ________ on the ________ sides of continents produce warm, humid conditions.

poleward;eastern

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

south;left

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

surface currents form circular patterns in the major ocean basins called 'gyres'

The Ekman spiral is caused by:

the wind and the coriolis effect

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

to the left of the wind direction

Cold currents flowing ________ on the ________ sides of continents produce arid conditions.

toward the equator; western

Equatorial currents are driven by the:

trade winds

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

upwelling

Diverging surface waters are areas of ________ and ________ productivity.

upwelling;high

The Gulf Stream is an example of which of the following types of currents?

western boundary currents

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

wind; the Coriolis effect and land