How the Ocean Affects Climate

The ocean helps control temperatures on Earth because it...

• cools land masses by wetting them

• changes temperature slowly

• surrounds every continent

• reflects all of the sun's rays back into space

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-6

Because of its immense size and the amount of energy required to change its temperature, the ocean can...

• store only small amounts of energy

• change its temperature very quickly

• reflect most of the sun's energy back into space

• absorb and store a massive amount of energy

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-6

As ocean waters flow, the ___ stored int he ocean is distributed around Earth.

• algae

• energy

• marine life

• salt

The temperature of the ocean depends on the amount of ___ it receives.

• direct sunlight

• oxygen

• precipitation

• water particles

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NGSS.MS-ESS2-6

NGSS.MS-ESS2-4

The ocean receives ____ from the sun at ____, so it is cooler toward the poles

• light; its surface

• less energy; higher latitudes

• radiation; higher latitudes

• very little energy; mid latitudes

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-6

In the ocean, as it circulates from warmer to colder areas, energy moves in which direction?

• from the equator to the poles

• from the poles to the equator

• from the ocean to the land

• from the troposphere to the stratosphere

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-6

An ocean current is the movement of water along...

• the entire ocean

• the ocean floor

• the contours of the continents

• a certain path in the ocean

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-6

What drives surface current or shallow ocean currents?

• the rotation of the Earth

• global winds push them

• shifting of tectonic plates

• tidal action from gravitational pull

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-6

The Coriolis effect determines the direction that

• global-scale tidal waves flow

• the sun's rays strike Earth

• global winds create waves

• global-scale surface currents bend

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-6

Why do surface currents affect the climates of nearby coastal regions?

• Surface currents generate high winds

• Surface currents erode away coastal beaches

• Surface currents bring large waves to coastal regions

• Surface currents affect air temperature and moisture

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-6