Water currents

Question 1

What percent of the Earth is covered by the ocean?

Answer 1

71% of the earth is covered by ocean

Question 2

What causes major ocean gyres to rotate counterclockwise in the southern hemisphere and clockwise in the northern hemisphere?

Answer 2

The coriolis effect/Earths’ rotation
Right direction in northern hemisphere
Left direction in southern hemisphere

Question 3

Why are surface temperatures warmer in the tropics?

Answer 3

They are warmer in the tropics because they get more direct sunlight

Question 4

What is the primary driving force behind surface ocean currents?

Answer 4

Prevailing winds (prevailing winds stay the same all the time)

Question 5

What is the primary driving force behind deep water currents?

Answer 5

Density differences

Question 6

How does the position of continents impact ocean currents?

Answer 6

Position of continents makes ocean currents get deflected.

Question 7

How does gravity impact ocean currents?

Answer 7

More denser materials sink, while less dense materials float.

Question 8

How do underwater topographic features impact ocean currents?

Answer 8

Deflects underwater currents.

Question 9

How is density impacted by temperature?

Answer 9

The warmer temperatures make the water less dense
Colder temperatures makes the water more dense

Question 10

How is density impacted by salinity?

Answer 10

Saltier water is denser than freshwater

Question 11

Deep water formation areas cause water to be very dense. How do temperature, wind, and ice formation impact water density?

Answer 11

The colder the temperature, the denser the water.
When it is windy, Water gets evaporated leaving saltwater behind and making the water saltier and more dense.
If the ocean would freeze, it would leave salt behind making the ocean more salty and more dense

Question 12

During neutral El Nino conditions, the trade winds blow air away from the coast of Peru. This causes cold, nutrient rich water to rise to the surface. What is this process called where cold water, nutrient rich, is brought up from the depths?

Answer 12

It is called upwelling

Question 13

What is the largest and deepest ocean?

Answer 13

Pacific ocean

Question 14

What do we call large, sub-circular currents found in every ocean?

Answer 14

Gyres

Question 15

What is the ultimate source of energy for ocean currents?

Answer 15

The sun

Question 16

What phenomenon moves from West to east

Answer 16

El Nino

Question 17

What happens to the water temperature off the coast of South America during El Nino?

Answer 17

Water becomes warmer

Question 18

What happens to the current in the tropical Pacific during El Nino?

Answer 18

Weakens

Question 19

What would the conditions be like under polar ice during winter at the North Pole?

Answer 19

The conditions would be cold, salty, dense

Question 20

Look at the diagram below. What are the names of the 3 global convection currents that create the prevailing winds and push ocean currents?

Answer 20

Polar, ferrel and Hadley cells

Question 21

24. Name 3 prevailing winds that are created by global convection.

Answer 21

Westerlies, northeast and southeast trades,Polar easterlies.

Question 22

25. What important material is transported by upwellings that enable algae to grow?

Answer 22

Nuitrants

Question 23

26. What important material is transported by downwellings that support oceanic animal life?

Answer 23

oxygen

Question 24

27. What important influence do ocean currents have on the Earth in terms of heat transportation?

Answer 24

Carries heat from the equator to the poles

Question 25

28. What would happen if you set up a large beaker that is set up so that a very cold layer of blue-dyed water is placed directly on top of a very warm layer of red-dyed water.

Answer 25

The cold layer of blue-dyed water would sink and the warm red dyed water would rise making all the water mixed up and turn purple

Question 26

Name 3 things that would be different if Thor Hyerdahyl took his trip across the Pacific in a year that had strong El Nino conditions.

Answer 26

Weaker southern equatorial current which would cause his raft to move slower and make his trip longer
Slower trade winds would make the raft move slower
The water would be warmer due to reduced upwelling off the coast of Peru. This would make less fish available to eat
Warmer water near the equator would produce more storms which could damage the raft.