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WorksheetsOcean Currents and Tides Concepts
Total questions: 65
Worksheet time: 46mins
Which direction do major surface currents move in the Northern Hemisphere?
Counterclockwise
Clockwise
North to South
East to West
What drives global ocean currents?
Only wind patterns
Only Earth's rotation
Wind patterns, Coriolis effect, and Earth's rotation
Only Coriolis effect
What happens to warmer water in the ocean?
It sinks
It rises
It stays at the poles
It moves to the equator
Which of the following is influenced by global ocean currents?
Earth's magnetic field
Marine ecosystems
Tectonic plate movements
Volcanic activity
What drives the continuous cycle of ocean currents?
Differences in temperature and salinity
Wind patterns
Earth's rotation
Tidal forces
Which of the following is influenced by ocean currents?
Weather patterns such as rainfall and storms
The formation of mountains
The Earth's magnetic field
The growth of forests
What drives thermohaline circulation?
Differences in temperature and salinity
Wind patterns
Earth's rotation
Tidal forces
What is the primary driver of surface currents in the ocean?
Warm water rising
Cold water sinking
Wind patterns
Earth's rotation
What causes the bulge of water that leads to high tides?
Earth's rotation
Sun's gravity
Moon's gravity
Wind patterns
What is the gravitational pull of neap tides compared to spring tides?
Stronger
Weaker
The same
Non-existent
When do spring tides occur?
When the Sun, Moon, and Earth are aligned
When the Sun and Moon are at right angles to each other
When the Earth is closest to the Sun
When the Moon is closest to the Earth
What do tides create in ecosystems?
Intertidal zones
Desert zones
Mountain zones
Forest zones
How do intertidal organisms adapt?
To both aquatic and terrestrial conditions
To only aquatic conditions
To only terrestrial conditions
To desert conditions
What is the effect of lower high tides and higher low tides?
Neap tides
Spring tides
Tsunamis
Hurricanes
What kind of landforms do tides shape?
Coastal landforms
Mountain ranges
Desert dunes
Forests
What role do ocean currents play in the global climate?
They have no significant effect on climate
They only affect coastal regions
They distribute heat around the planet
They move water around the planet
What type of currents are potentially dangerous to swimmers, because they rapidly carry water offshore quickly?
Surface Currents
Longshore Currents
Deep Currents
Rip Currents
An intense, warm ocean current in the western North Atlantic Ocean is the
doldrums
jet stream
gulf stream
Greenhouse effect
Which direction do major surface currents move in the Northern Hemisphere?
Counterclockwise
Clockwise
North to South
East to West
What drives global ocean currents?
Only wind patterns
Only Earth's rotation
Wind patterns, Coriolis effect, and Earth's rotation
Only Coriolis effect
What happens to warmer water in the ocean?
It sinks
It rises
It stays at the poles
It moves to the equator
Which of the following is influenced by global ocean currents?
Earth's magnetic field
Marine ecosystems
Tectonic plate movements
Volcanic activity
What drives the continuous cycle of ocean currents?
Differences in temperature and salinity
Wind patterns
Earth's rotation
Tidal forces
What happens during El Niño?
Trade winds strengthen and warm surface water moves eastward
Trade winds weaken and warm surface water moves westward
Trade winds strengthen and warm surface water moves westward
Trade winds weaken and warm surface water moves eastward
What happens during La Niña?
Trade winds weaken and warm surface water moves eastward
Trade winds strengthen and warm surface water moves westward
Trade winds strengthen and warm surface water moves eastward
Trade winds weaken and warm surface water moves westward
What is the relationship between El Niño and La Niña?
They have no relationship
El Niño and La Niña are the same phenomenon
El Niño and La Niña are opposite phases of a cycle
El Niño and La Niña occur simultaneously
What happens when trade winds become stronger than normal?
They blow cool water back into the eastern Pacific and restart the upwelling of warm water in the western Pacific
They blow cool water back into the western Pacific and restart the upwelling of warm water in the eastern Pacific
They blow warm water back into the western Pacific and restart the upwelling of cool water in the eastern Pacific
They blow warm water back into the eastern Pacific and restart the upwelling of cool water in the western Pacific
What are trade winds?
Winds that blow from south to north
Winds that blow from north to south
Winds that blow from east to west
Winds that blow from west to east
Carbon is found in which energy sources?
Fossil fuels such as oil, coal, and natural gas
Fossil fuels such as water, oil, and wind
Renewable energy sources such as geothermal energy and water
None of the above
What is the largest reservoir for water?
the ocean
rocks and minerals
the atmosphere
glaciers
In evaporation, water _______
turns from a liquid state to vapor (gas)
falls from the sky like rain or snow
forms clouds
gets locked into ice
How are carbon & nitrogen returned back into the soil?
decomposition of plants/animals
through sunlight
when organisms eat plants
when organisms eat one another
In what way is nitrogen important to life on Earth?
It is used in photosynthesis.
Animals need to breathe it in.
It is used to make DNA and proteins.
All of the above.
The movement of deep, cold, nutrient filled water to the surface of the ocean is..
Ocean Current
Upwelling
Deep Currents
Surface Currents
What affects the density of water?
Salt
Temperature
The seasons of the year
Both A and B
Which of the following are types of freshwater that can be used by people?
Select all that are true.
groundwater
ice caps and glaciers
oceans
rivers
lakes
Why does groundwater usually require less treatment than surface water?
The layers of Earth protect groundwater from pollutants.
As groundwater sinks into the ground, the layers of rock act like a natural filter and remove pollutants from the water.
Surface water has more exposure to pollutants in runoff and the atmosphere.
all of the above
The image shows various stages in the water cycle. During which stage does water flow back towards the sea as runoff?
W
X
Y
Z
Rain and snow are two different forms of precipitation that fall on Earth's surface. Which factor is responsible for there being different forms of precipitation?
Evaporation
Run-off
Temperature
Transpiration
Plants using water, carbon dioxide, and energy to make food.
evaporation
photosynthesis
water cycle
transpiration
During an El Nino, trade winds are typically...
about average
stronger
weaker
Both El Nino and La Nina have this in common
Influence birds that migrate over the ocean
Influence rainy / dry weather world wide
The weather at the polar regions
The directions that ships travel in the oceans
During a(n) ____ event, trade winds are much stronger than usual.
El Nino
La Nina
Normal
Partly sunny
Both El Nino and La Nina have this in common
Influence birds that migrate over the ocean
Influence weather world wide
The weather at the polar regions
The directions that ships travel in the oceans
COLDER than average temperatures for southern United States
El Nino
La Nina
LOWER than average precipitation for southern United States
El Nino
La Nina
El Nino and La Nina occur in the ______________
Pacific Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
When La Nina and hurricanes pull cold water to the surface and bring nutrient rich sediments from the seafloor, this is called ___________________.
upwelling
downwelling
El Zapato
La Gloria
Which of the following is an INCORRECT statement about El Niño and La Niña?
Both occur every 2-7 years
Both occur in the Atlantic Ocean
El Nino is a warming and La Nina is a cooling of the Pacific Ocean
Neither are considered "storms"
