Coriolis Effect and Ocean Currents

what is the coriolis effect?

• change in location of warm and cold surface water every 2-7 years

• tendency of objects moving large distances on Earth’s surface to bend to the right in the northern hemisphere & to the left in the southern hemisphere

• winds in northern Indian ocean that blow from the southwest in the summer & from the northeast in winter

• two layers of horizontal winds moving in opposite directions

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what is the main cause of the coriolis effect?

• earth’s rotation

• trade winds

• the sun and ocean

• temperature

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what would happen if there was no coriolis effect?

• the earth would not rotate

• nothing would change

• the atmosphere would only circulate between the poles and the equator; this creates a pattern

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where is the coriolis effect the strongest?

• in the northern hemisphere

• in the southern hemisphere

• at the equator

• at the Earth’s poles

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how does the coriolis effect influence climate?

• predicts the direction of global atmospheric circulation; trade winds, westerlies, etc.

• warms the temperature of large bodies of water

• melts glaciers and polar ice caps

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NGSS.MS-ESS2-6

what is the most important thing the coriolis effect acts on?

• storm surges

• climate change

• storm systems

• trade winds

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the coriolis effect, affects how airplanes fly

• true

• false

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you can notice the coriolis effect when riding in a car

• False

• True

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the coriolis effect also influences

• surface currents

• wind direction

• salinity of the ocean

• temperature of the ocean

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the direction of the coriolis effect changes from _______ to ________ at the equator

• left to right

• west to east

• north to south

• right to left

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