Oceanography Chapter 6
To what depth in the ocean does the Ekman spiral extend?
100 meters 330 feet
The Trade Winds are one type of prevailing wind pattern. How many other types of prevailing winds are there among earth's global wind patterns?
2
Why does wind between the equator and 30 degrees south come out of the southeast?
Cooled air moves north toward the equator and is deflected toward the west by the Coriolis effect.
Which of the following are western boundary currents?
East Australia Current Kuroshio Current Brazil Current
Why does air tend to rise in equatorial regions?
Equatorial regions receive more direct sunlight than other areas
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.
Which process causes downwelling off the coast of Antarctica?
Ice Formation
During La Niña, what happens to the Pacific Warm Pool?
It gets pushed farther south
Why is Antarctic Bottom Water so dense?
It is cold and Salty
in the Northern Hemisphere, the Ekman spiral moves layers of water to the _____ of the wind direction and Ekman transport (the overall direction of water movement) is to the _____.
Right, right
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.
What is the air that sinks at latitudes of 30 degrees north and south like?
This air is cool and dry
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 which direction would winds move at the poles if Earth rotated in the opposite direction?
Wind near the north pole would move to the northeast, and the wind near the south pole would move to the southeast.
Which force(s) drive(s) water circulation in the deep ocean?
differences in water temperature differences in water density differences in water salinity
Equatorial currents that are part of the subtropical gyres flow ___. Equatorial counter currents between the gyres flow ___ .
east to west; west to east
Surface ocean currents ___.
form large rotating gyres in the major ocean basins are influenced by Coriolis effect are driven by winds
Cool ocean currents ___.
generally flow from high latitudes towards the equator
Why does the west coast of South Africa have high biological productivity?
lots of coastal upwelling high concentrations of nutrients in the surface water
Deep ocean currents ___.
result from changes in water density (due to temperature and salt content)
Which of the following conditions would be expected for the eastern Pacific during an El Niño event?
sea level rise floods reversed Walker circulation a deeper thermocline
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?
shallow thermocline abundant anchovies dry, clear conditions
Which way would wind travel in the region between 30 and 60 degrees latitude if Earth stopped rotating?
south in the Southern Hemisphere and north in the Northern Hemisphere
What term is used to describe the effect on air movement produced by Earth's rotation?
the Coriolis effect
What is the Coriolis Effect?
the deflection of moving objects to the right in the Northern Hemisphere, and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere
How would a moving object in Earth's atmosphere be deflected as a result of Earth's rotation?
to the right in the Northern Hemisphere, and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere
Which way would an airplane deflect if flying from the South Pole toward the equator?
toward the left
Which direction would an airplane deflect if flying across South Africa from the west coast to the east coast?
toward the north
which way would an airplane deflect if flying from the East Coast of the United States toward the West Coast of the United States?
toward the north
Which way would an airplane deflect if flying from the North Pole toward the equator?
toward the right
Which way would an airplane deflect if flying from the West Coast of the United States toward the East Coast of the United States?
toward the south
Which way would an airplane deflect if flying from the east coast of South Africa toward the west coast of South Africa?
toward the south
Which way would an airplane deflect if flying from the North Pole toward the equator?
toward the west
Which of the following conditions would be expected for the western Pacific during an El Niño event?
wildfires weaker trade winds high atmospheric pressure
Which factor(s) below drive(s) and shape(s) the pattern of surface ocean currents?
wind shape of the ocean basins Coriolis effect
