2. Ocean Current Notes 2nd quarter

3. Ocean Currents: questions go with video: http://www. montereyinstitute
1. What factors cause ocean currents? Wind, gravity, and variations in water density 2. What kinds of ocean currents are there? surface currents, and deep circulation 3. What is a Gyre and how many big ones are in the world’s oceans? A gyre is a well organized circular flow within surface currents, there are 5 big gyres 4. What is the most important cause of surface currents? Wind causes friction on the top of the water these currents slow down with depth and only affect the top few 100 meters. Gravity also affects surface current.

4. 5. What is the Coriolis effect?
The earth’s surface rotates faster at the equator then the poles. winds and gravity start water moving the currents move at an angle to the force that generates them.
6. How do the continents affect currents?
The current turns when it runs into a continent.
7. What kind of ocean currents are temporary?
Longshore, rip and upwelling currents
8. What is the continuous deep water currents called?
The global conveyer belt.
9. What causes thermohaline circulation?
Differences in temperature and salty
10. What is the temperature and salt content of polar water?
Cold and very salty, therefore dense

5. Rubber ducks in ocean
4 minute article Ducks in Ocean npr robert siegel speaks with oceanographer Curtis Ebbesmeyer
800-bath-toys-are-lost-at-sea 32 min radio story Moby Duck book review
-%20The%20Great%20Pacific%20Garbage%20Patch
School tube great pacific garbage patch abc news approx 5 min

6. Earth Science book work pg 347
1. a. Ocean Current: any continuous flow along a broad path in an ocean
B. The general circulation pattern north of the equator is clockwise and in the southern hemisphere it is counter clock wise.
C. With in the ocean basin the warm current are found on the western side.
D The cool currents are found on the eastern side
2. a The trade winds affect the part near the equator
B. The currents caused by the trade winds are called The north and south equatorial currents.
C. The westerlies affect the polar current circles.
D. The currents caused by the westerlies are called the West Wind Drifts.
3. A. Warm currents: The Gulf Stream, the North Atlantic Drift, The north Equatorial Drift
B. The gulf stream bring warmer water north and warms the climate of land passes.
C. Sargasso Sea is an area of warm water in the North Atlantic

7. 4 a. The gulf stream rings form from eddies and whirlpools that break away from the main current.
B. Locate and describe cold core rings, these are on the Sargasso side.
C. Warm core rings are on the continent side
5. a. Cold currents flow to toward equator
B. the Laborador current flows flows from the Baffin Bay along the Canadian coast off Nova Scota C.
6. a. Counter currents flow the opposite directions from wind currents.
B. Equatorial counter currents flow between the north and south equatorial currents.
C. Cromwell currents is in the Pacific ocean flowing beneath the south equatorial current.

8. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOrVotzBNto 10 min
StreaM Flow Lab
2 min min
10 min

9. Ocean gyres NASA perpetual ocean you tube video 3 minutes:
ure=youtu.be
NSTA interactive ocean and wind circulation:
eather_climate/media/ocean_and_wind_currents.swf
finding Nemo the EAC
5803s.swf Heat transfer

10. Coriolis Effect
Define Coriolis: Use text book on table 2 min
6 min conservation of angular momentum
Global winds (tie into convection and coriolis)review latitude and longitude moving animation of earth with winds

11. Rotating planet Which way does the Earth Spin? How do you know?
Spins from east to west because the sun rises in the east and sets in the west
Spin the earth the correct direction and view it from the north axis. In the northern hemisphere the earth spins _____________________________________. Hold the spinning earth over your head. In the southern hemisphere the earth spins ________________________.
Locate an place near the equator _______Locate a place near the north pole. _____. If a plane takes off from the southern location and flies in a straight line north while the planet continues to spin where will it land?
The path of objects in the northern hemisphere are deflected to right so ocean circulation is clockwise. In the southern hemisphere objects are defected to the left.

12. Humans pollute ocean water
Ocean gyres (Plastic ocean) 3 min albatross midway island
2 min
 plastics in the oceans 7 min phyto plankton
19 year old cleaning up the Pacific plastic: develops-ocean-cleanup-array-that-could-remove tons-of-plastic-from-the-worlds-oceans/
Cosmetic microbeads: ws_federal_legislation_to_ban_plastic_microbead s_in_cosmetics_introduced/