Salinity and Currents

Currents can be

warm and cold

continental deflection

when surface currents meet continents, the currents are deflected and change direction

What is thermohaline circulation

Global Conveyor Belt because its circulation of warm and cold water acts as a submarine river and moves water throughout the ocean.

High Salinity means

increased density

What is salt made of?

Sodium Chloride (NaCl)

ocean wave

created by energy passing through water, causing it to move in a circular motion. ... Wind-driven waves, or surface waves, are created by the friction between wind and surface water.

global winds

winds that blow steadily from specific directions over long distances

low salinity means

decreased density

Increased temperature

decreases density

What are Convection Currents?

Movement of a substance caused by differences in temperature.

Coriolis effect

Causes moving air and water to turn left in the southern hemisphere and turn right in the northern hemisphere due to Earth's hemisphere.

What do currents affect?

Climate of neighboring regions.

Is cold water more or less dense?

Cold water is heavy with salt, so it sinks to the bottom.

What are Polar Currents?

Cold-water currents that flow toward the equator.

What are "rivers within an ocean"?

Currents

What are deep ocean currents (thermohaline circulation)?

Currents that occur in lower than 1300 feet.

What are surface currents?

Currents that occur in the upper 1300 feet of the ocean

What are the forces that drive Deep currents?

Differences in density due to temperature and salinity.

Where does the salt come from?

Earth's crust and volcanoes of substances dissolve in seawater

The direction Northern Hemisphere currents flow

Eastward and clockwise, right

What is a Gyre?

Large system of rotating ocean currents. Circular or spiral patterns; refers to circular motion of major ocean currents.

What is salinity?

Measure of the dissolved solids in seawater.

What are Ocean Currents?

Vertical or horizontal movement of both surface and deep water throughout the world's oceans.

Is warm water more or less dense?

Warm water holds less salt water, less dense and rises to the surface.

What is the Gulf Stream?

Warm-water current that flows along the east coast of the U.S. and over the Atlantic, warming western Europe

What are Equatorial Currents?

Warm-water currents that flow away from the equator.

The direction Southern Hemisphere currents flow

Westward and counterclockwise, left

What are the forces that drive surface currents?

Wind: Global winds, coriolis effect, continental deflection