1. OCEANS and CURRENTS

2. World Oceans
ARCTIC OCEAN
ATLANTIC OCEAN
PACIFIC OCEAN
INDIAN OCEAN

3. Coriolis Effect tps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rd GtcZSFRLk
Wind affected by spinning of earth
Air is prevented from flowing in a continuous loop from pole to pole, it travels in a circle from pole to equator
Clockwise in Northern Hemisphere
Counterclockwise in Southern Hemisphere
Ocean currents move in this same pattern
tps:// GtcZSFRLk

4. Coriolis Effect:

5. Thermohaline Circulation:
Cold water moves under warm water along the ocean floor from poles to equator

6. Importance of Currents:
Affect climate
Influence fishing
Distribute oxygen
Deep currents distribute O2 to deep water organisms
Surface currents used by man for ocean travel

7. Currents affected by:
Prevailing winds
Temperature

8. Deep Ocean Currents also affected by:
Density of water (determined by temperature and salinity)
Antarctica has the densest water in the world

9. Surface Current:
Longshore Current – moves in direction water is “pushed” when waves hit shore at an angle (what carries you down the shoreline)

10. Longshore Current:
WAVES
LONGSHORE CURRENT
SHORELINE
Littoral Drift – sand carried down shore by longshore current

11. Surface Current:
Rip Current – incorrectly called undertow, they do not pull you down, they move you outward – the rapid movement will knock you off your feet

12. Rip Current caused by:
Build up of water (accumulation of longshore currents)
Convergence of water (two longshore currents converge)

13. Accumulation ConvergenceLS LS LS
RIP
RIP

14. Deep Water Currents:
Have a residence time of between 500 to 1600 years. In other words, before that water mixes in with other water, 1600 years may have passed.
SOUTH
NORTH
Antarctic Intermediate Current
North Atlantic Deep Current
Antarctic Bottom Current

15. Deep Water Currents Caused by density differences
Cold, dense water sinks at one pole and flows toward opposite pole
Densest water in world is at Antarctica – so deepest bottom current forms here
Provide Oxygen to benthic organisms