1. Ocean Currents Guided Notes

2. What is a current?
1. An Ocean Current is a directed, continuous movement of ocean water generated by various forces.
2. Currents are caused by various factors:
Temperature
Different salinity levels
Winds can impact a lot of factors (climate and global economic trade)

3. Gulf Stream & other Atlantic Currents
North Atlantic Gyre

4. 3. Gulf Stream Map for Notes
Europe
North America
Charlotte
Africa

5. A Heat Map of the Ocean Currents

6. How temperature impacts ocean currents
Heat moves from areas of more heat energy to areas with less heat energy (Think about convection currents).
4. For currents, this means hotter water moves to areas where colder water is, and cold water moves to areas of warm water
5. This means warm currents move from the Equator towards Polar regions (they go north and south)

7. How does density affect the ocean?
6. Ocean water has formed layers according to density (especially because of temperature and salinity)
7. Low-density water occurs near the surface
8. Higher-density water occurs deep down

8. Bill Nye Ocean Currents Clip
Answer the question (#9) in your notes about the video (on the last slide!).
Answer this question after the notes!

9. 10. Surface current = movements of water that flow horizontally in the upper part of the ocean’s surface a. Develop from friction between the ocean and the wind that blows across its surface – global winds!

10. Subsurface Ocean Currents
11. An increase in seawater density can be caused by a decrease in temperature or an increase in salinity
12. Can also result from increased salinity of ocean water due to evaporation
a. The warmest layer of the ocean is the mixed layer/ surface zone where water is mixed by waves and currents.
b. The thermocline is the zone below the surface where rapid temperature change occurs.
c. The coldest layer is the deep zone with temperatures of around 5 degrees Celsius.

11. Draw the temperature line and label the Temperature Zones

12. Can you see how the water gets colder the further the depth?

13. 13. The Gulf Stream is known as a long-distance surface current that carries warm water from the southern tip of Florida along the eastern coast of the US.
14. Currents in the Northern Hemisphere move clockwise (currents correspond to the wind circulation in each hemisphere), while currents in the Southern Hemisphere move counterclockwise. This is because of the Coriolis Effect.

14. 15. The Coriolis effect (the apparent shift in fluids or objects due to the rotation of the Earth) explains ocean current patterns curving in each hemisphere.

15. Density Currents Video
Answer questions (#16, #17 and #18) by watching the video on the last slide!

16. 19. The movement of deep ocean currents to the surface is called upwelling. This occurs when deep cold currents are forced upward by the ocean floor bringing nutrient rich foodstuffs to the surface. This produces rich fishing grounds in areas where upwelling occurs. (Ex. Peru, Chile)

17. Pacific Trash Vortex Video
Answer the questions on your note sheet by watching the video on the last slide!
1) How big is the vortex?
2) It is the largest ____________________________ in the world.
3) How many vortexes make up the Pacific Trash Vortex?
4) Who is responsible for the trash vortex?
5) Why do we care about the trash vortex?
6) Overall, the Pacific trash vortex is one of how many trash vortexes around the world?

18. Article READING: Rubber Ducks Journey

19. Rubber Ducks Lost at Sea Questions:
1. Where did the shipping container fall into the ocean, and where are 3 places that the rubber ducks have gone or come ashore?
2. Has the rubber ducks journey been a quick one or has their trip been really slow? How do you know?
3. After 20 years have all of the rubber ducks come ashore? Why or why not?
4. What problems have the rubber ducks helped everyone to see?
5. Looking at the map in the article, where else might the rubber ducks end up?

20. Message In a Bottle Here’s your assignment for the rest of class:
Pretend you are writing a “message in a bottle”
First decide: Where do you want your message to end up (which country)?
Next decide: Where will you have to go to make sure your bottle arrives in the proper country? (If there are more than one current associated with your trip, take note of that).
What to write:
Your message will need to be at least one paragraph and must be addressed to someone in a different country.
Include where you are and how your message ended up in its location.
Include an explanation of ocean currents and what causes them.
Include a map of the bottle’s route.

21. Where would your message go?

22. Video Clips
FINDING NEMO - 'The EAC' - Bill Nye Ocean Currents - The Coriolis Effect - Density Current #1 - Density Current #2 - Density Current #3 - Pacific Trash Vortex Video -