OCN 150 MO #7

In the figure above, which of the labeled currents are eastern boundary currents?

C H N

Why are western boundary currents intensified compared to eastern boundary currents?

Earth rotates from west to east, pushing water more strongly toward the west.

Which of the following are western boundary currents?

East Australia Current Brazil Current Kuroshio Current

Ocean frontal systems that spin off from currents such as the Gulf Stream, akin to atmospheric storms, are known as __________.

Eddies

Which current that flows along the equator is driven by a difference in sea level caused by ocean circulation patterns?

Equatorial Countercurrent in the Pacific Ocean

In the figure above, which of the labeled currents are warm water currents?

F B E

In the figure above, which of the labeled ocean currents transport 10-15 Sv of water?

H N

In the figure above, which of the labeled ocean currents are western boundary currents?

I A O

Refer to the figure above. Which of the labeled currents are cool currents?

K C H

Fluctuations in the flow of the Gulf Stream current result in curving loops of water known as __________.

Meanders

In the figure above, which of the labeled currents are shallow, weak, and slow currents?

N H

In the figure above, which of the following labeled currents is/are part of the South Atlantic Gyre?

N M

The Gulf Stream transports warm water into the __________.

North Atlantic

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

North Atlantic Deep Water

Deep-ocean currents are caused by changes in the density of seawater (referred to as thermohaline circulation), caused by changes in temperature or salinity. This causes a conveyor belt-like movement of water throughout the oceans. This conveyor belt of currents is a principal mechanism for the planet to distribute heat from the equator to the poles, which also influences climate patterns.

1. North Atlantic Current 2. Thermohaline circulation 3. Costal upwelling 4. High latitudes

As shown in NASA satellite data, in what years were the two most recent strong El Niño events?

1997-1998 and 2015

In which direction does the surface current move in relation to the wind in the Southern Hemisphere?

45 degrees to the left

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?

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.

Which current below would be expected to have a width on the order of 300 kilometers (186.4 miles) and a speed on the order of 17 kilometers (10.6 miles) per day?

Benguela Current

What factor(s) drive(s) Ekman transport?

Coriolis effect Wind

Which factor(s) below drive(s) and shape(s) the pattern of surface ocean currents?

Coriolis effect Wind Shape of the ocean basins

Why do the lengths of the arrows in the Ekman spiral get shorter and shorter as you move deeper into the water column?

Deeper water moves at a slower speed due to friction.

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

Denser

Which method would be most appropriate for directly measuring the flow rate of the Gulf Stream?

Drift bottles

One of the world's most powerful currents, located off the east coast of the United States, is the __________.

Gulf Stream

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 ocean current is the strongest and fastest ocean current in the world?

Gulf Stream

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

Gyre

Which of the following statements is/are true regarding surface ocean currents?

Gyres in the Southern Hemisphere rotate counterclockwise. Cold currents flow at high latitudes or from higher latitudes toward the equator.

On a west coast in the Northern Hemisphere, what happens to surface waters when winds blow from the south?

Surface waters move onshore Downwelling occurs

On a west coast in the Northern Hemisphere, what happens to surface waters when winds blow from the north?

Upwelling occurs. Surface waters move offshore.

Which of the following currents goes all the way around the world without being interrupted by land?

West Wind Drift

In the figure above, if this is a western-facing coast of the Northern Hemisphere, which wind pattern would cause coastal downwelling?

Wind C

In the figure above, if this is a western-facing coast of the Southern Hemisphere, which wind pattern would cause coastal upwelling?

Wind C

Which of the following conditions would you expect to find off the coast of Peru under normal, or neutral, El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) conditions?

abundant anchovies dry, clear conditions shallow thermocline

When a meander from the Gulf Stream pinches off into the warm water south of the current, the eddy is called a __________.

cold-core eddy or ring

During La Niña, what happens to the Pacific Warm Pool?

it gets pushed farther west

Why does the west coast of South Africa have high biological productivity?

lots of coastal upwelling high concentrations of nutrients in the surface water

Which of the following conditions would be expected for the eastern Pacific during an El Niño event?

reversed Walker circulation sea level rise a deeper thermocline floods

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

temperature; salinity

In the figure above, depicting a hypothetical wind direction in an ideal world. The iceberg broke off from the Greenland Ice Sheet and floated into the ocean. Under the prevailing wind conditions, in which direction would the iceberg be pushed?

toward D

Refer the figure above. In which direction would the entire surface current underneath the Greenland iceberg be expected to travel?

toward E

Which of the following conditions would be expected for the western Pacific during an El Niño event?

wildfires weaker trade winds high atmospheric pressure