Quiz: Atmospheric and Oceanic Circulation

When cool, dense air from over the water flows inland, it's called a _____.

• land breeze

• polar easterly

• jet stream

• sea breeze

Steady winds between the equator and 30° latitude north or south are known as the _____.

• prevailing westerlies

• jet stream

• polar easterlies

• trade winds

What are polar easterlies?

• Steady winds that flow from east to west between 30°N latitude and 30°S latitude.

• Steady winds that flow from west to east between latitudes 30°N and 60°N, and 30°S and 60°S.

• Cold winds that blow from east to west near the North Pole and the South Pole.

• A wind-driven current that carries ocean water horizontally across the ocean’s surface.

What is the Coriolis effect?

• Steady winds that flow from west to east between latitudes 30°N and 60°N, and 30°S and 60°S.

• The vertical movement of water toward the ocean's surface.

• A wind-driven current that carries ocean water horizontally across the ocean's surface.

• A phenomenon where the rotation of Earth causes moving air and water to appear to move to the right in the Northern hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere.

An increase in ocean salinity can change _____ and create a current.

• the temperature near the poles

• the density of water

• the Coriolis Effect

• the wind speed across the surface

The _____ _____ is the wind system responsible for the movement of weather from west to east across most of the continental United States.

• polar easterlies

• prevailing easterlies

• trade winds

• jet stream

Which sentence about an ocean current is correct?

• Upwelling is caused by winds that blow on the ocean's surface.

• Upwelling moves water horizontally.

• Surface currents are caused by differences in water density.

• Surface currents move vertically through the water.

What is wind?

• The movement of air from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure.

• The force that a column of air applies on the air or a surface below it.

• The transfer of thermal energy by the movement of particles within matter.

• The vertical movement of water toward the ocean's surface.

What are prevailing westerlies?

• Steady winds that flow from east to west between 30°N latitude and 30°S latitude.

• Steady winds that flow from west to east between latitudes 30°N and 60°N, and 30°S and 60°S.

• Cold winds that blow from east to west near the North Pole and the South Pole.

• A wind-driven current that carries ocean water horizontally across the ocean’s surface.

Which of the following occurs when wind blows across the ocean's surface, pushing water away from an area?

• upwelling

• surface current

• density current

• salinity current