Ocean Currents and Climate

What drives the oceanic surface currents?

• Coriolis Force

• Prevailing winds

• Hurricanes

• Wind Gust

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-6

Ocean currents affect climatic temperatures on land.

• True

• False

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-6

If ocean currents and prevailing winds did not exist…

• There would be no climates

• The climates would be more extreme in terms of temperatures & precipitation amounts.

• The climatic temperatures would differ from today’s climate but not the precipitation amounts.

• The precipitations amounts would differ from today’s climate but not the climatic temperatures.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-6

Match the following descriptions to El Nino or La Nina. Mark only one oval per row. Strong trade winds:

• El Nino

• La Nina

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-6

Match the following descriptions to El Nino or La Nina. Mark only one oval per row. Strong upwelling in the eastern Pacific Ocean:

• El Nino

• La Nina

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-6

Match the following descriptions to El Nino or La Nina. Mark only one oval per row. Bad for fishing:

• El Nino

• La Nina

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-6

Match the following descriptions to El Nino or La Nina. Mark only one oval per row. Wetter weather patterns on the west coast:

• El Nino

• La Nina

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-5

NGSS.MS-ESS2-6

Where do hurricanes start their initial stages of formation?

• On the equator in the Atlantic

• Africa

• Northern Atlantic Ocean

• Gulf of Mexico

• Caribbean Sea

In the northern hemisphere, hurricanes rotate _____ and in the southern hemisphere, hurricanes rotate _____. Mark only one oval.

• Clockwise; counterclockwise

• Counterclockwise; clockwise

• clockwise; clockwise

• counterclockwise; counterclockwise

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-6

The area of the hurricane with the strongest winds is the.

• Eye

• Rain bands

• Eyewall

• Convective clouds