Influences of Weather and Climate: Ocean Currents Assessment

Differences in water temperature in the ocean create movement because -

• cold water is pulled more by gravity than warm water.
• warm and cold water mix and reach the same temperature.
• bodies of water at different temperatures have different densities.

One of the characteristics of ocean water that causes ocean currents is salinity. Differences in salinity can cause movement in the ocean because the amount of dissolved salt in ocean water is connected to -

• its ability to conduct electricity.
• the latitude where it is found.
• the density of the water.

A map of average sea surface temperatures over the entire Earth is provided. Warm water is less dense than cold water. Based on this information and the map provided, it could be predicted that ocean water will -

• rise at the equator.
• be less dense at the poles.
• be warmer near the continents.

How do oceans influence weather and climate?

• Oceans reflect the sun's energy back through the atmosphere into space.
• Oceans absorb the energy of the sun, store it, and release it.
• Oceans' waves continually generate heat through wave action.

Hurricanes and typhoons are well-organized, rotating storms of low pressure that form in open oceans. These storms can contain very high winds and can raise the local tide more than 5 meters as the storms come onto land. Hurricanes and typhoons are examples of–

• energy stored in the ocean being released.
• the ocean getting energy from Earth's rotation.
• convection currents in columns of saltwater.

The energy of the sun drives a general pattern in ocean water movement from the equator outward toward the poles. The actual global pattern of ocean currents, however, is a more complicated series of rotating systems as shown in the map provided. Which of the following describes the features that change the general pattern of ocean water movement into the actual pattern we see?

• Earth's rotation and arrangement of continents.
• Global patterns of fishing and sailing.
• Concentration of dissolved salt and minerals.

The Canary Current is an ocean current that moves in a southwesterly direction along the northwest edge of Africa. Based on this information, one can predict that the winds above the ocean in this area blow mostly in what direction?

• Northwest
• Southwest
• Northeast

What is the result of uneven heating of Earth's oceans from the sun's radiation?

• Ocean convection currents
• Salinity
• Tides

What is the process that creates ocean convection currents?

• How quickly the water evaporates.
• The movement of water of different densities.
• The Coriolis Effect.

A map of average sea surface temperatures over the entire Earth is provided. What best explains the patterns in thermal differences that generate ocean currents?

• It is warmer at the equator.
• It is warmer at the poles.
• The poles and equator are the same temperature.