Oceanography Basics

Front

What are giant streams of water in the ocean called?

Back

Currents

Front

What are ocean currents that occur at the surface called?

Back

Surface currents

Front

What winds are located in the middle latitudes?

Back

The westerlies

Front

What is the curving of the path of oceans and winds due to Earth’s rotation called?

Back

The Coriolis effect

Front

What are huge circles of moving water caused by wind belts and the Coriolis effect called?

Back

Gyres

Front

What is the world’s largest current, produced by constant westward winds in the most southerly regions of the oceans?

Back

The Antarctic Circumpolar Current, also known as West Wind Drift

Front

What governs the currents in the northern Indian Ocean?

Back

Monsoons, winds whose directions change seasonally

Front

What are the two basic parts of a wave?

Back

A crest and a trough

Front

What is the major cause of tides?

Back

The gravitational pull of the moon on Earth and Earth’s waters

Front

When is the water level highest during tides?

Back

High tide