Marine Science Unit 5 Part II

Wind drives the strongest Ocean Currents, wind and surface currents are ultimately driven by:

• Tidal Forces

• Westerlies

• Solar (heat) Energy

• Friction

When the wind pushes the upper-most surface layer of the water it begins to move, however it goes off in a 45 degree angle because of the Coriolis Effect. This is called:

• Gyre(s)

• Upwelling

• Eckman Transport

• Equatorial Upwelling

The upper part of the water column that is affected by wind is called the ______ layer.

• Eckman

• Photic

• Abyssal

• Cold

As the Trade Winds move towards the equator, the currents these winds produce are called:

• Trade Wind Currents

• Westerlie Currents

• Equatorial Currents

• Polar Currents

Gyres are:

• Large patches of Ocean that are still.

• Whirlpools

• When Wind-Driven surface currents combine

• When Wind-Drive surface currents diverge

Gyres flow in certain directions depending on where they are located. Based on the picture, Gyres in the Northern Hemisphere:

• Flow towards the South in the Northern Hemisphere

• Flow towards the North in the Northern Hemisphere

• Flow clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere

• Flow Counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere

True/False: Current maps are based on average patterns over large distances and a long time span. At a given place on a given day, the current is often different.

• True

• False

The movement of large volumes of bottom-layer water to the surface caused by Eckman Transport is called:

• Currents

• Gyres

• Eckman Spiral

• Upwelling

An example of a region with very steady and consistent Upwelling patterns is the:

• California Coast

• Australia Coast

• Pacific Coast of South Ameria

• West Coast of Africa

True/False: Stronger Winds tend to lead to Stronger Upwelling

• True

• False