Ocean Notes.
Salinity.
A measure of the amount of dissolved salts in a given amount of liquid.
Density.
Amount of mass in a given space or volume.
What is more dense? Cold or Warm water.
Cold water is denser than warm water.
What affects surface currents?
Continental deflections, Coriolis Effect, and Global winds.
What Are Convection Currents?
Convection currents in the ocean are the movement of water that results from density differences. -Convection currents can be vertical, circular, or cyclical.
What happens to Deep Currents?
Dense water sinks and can form deep water currents that flow along the ocean floor or on another layer of denser water.
What causes deep currents?
Differences in density of ocean water.
What can cause ocean water across Earth's surface to create surface currents?
Global winds.
What makes water more dense?
Higher salinity makes water more dense.
Southern Hemisphere currents deflect...
Left.
Deep Currents.
Movements of ocean water far below the surface.
Surface Currents.
Ocean currents that occur at or near the surface of the ocean , caused by wind.
Northern Hemisphere currents deflect...
Right.
What causes different ocean water densities?
Salinity and temperature causes different ocean water densities.
Ocean Currents.
Stream-like movements of water in the ocean.
What is the major source of energy that powers surface currents?
Sun.
What is one of the strongest surface currents in the world?
The Gulf Stream.
What causes differences in pressure in the atmosphere?
The sun heating air near the equator.
Where does the sun heat the Earth the most?
The sun heats air near the equator more than it heats air at other latitudes.
What is Upwelling?
Upwelling is the process by which winds blow warm water away from a shore, allowing cool, nutrient-rich water to rise to the surface.
How Do Convection Currents Transfer Energy?
Water at the ocean's surface absorbs energy from the sun, and surface currents carry this energy to colder regions.
What happens when surface currents meet?
When surface currents meet continents, they are deflected and change directions.
What forms differences in air pressure and create surface currents?
Wind.
The cold water absorbs the sun's energy...
and the cycle continues.
As warm surface water moves away...
cold water rises to the surface.
Ocean currents can transport various living organisms to
different parts of the world.
Convection currents in the ocean transport
energy in the form of heat.
As warm water reaches a colder region...
it cools, becomes denser, and sinks.
phytoplankton and zooplankton are food for...
larger organisms, such as fish and seabirds.
Ocean currents can release energy into the atmosphere
making currents an important influence on climate.
Ocean water also transports dissolved solids, including
nutrients, and dissolved gases that support the growth of many marine organisms.
Turtles, coconuts, and phytoplankton all ride the...
ocean's surface currents.
Upwelling supplies...
the nutrients that support the growth of phytoplankton and zooplankton.