Ocean Currents Ocean Currents What Are Currents? What Are Currents? Current: a Current: a large stream large stream of moving of moving water that water that flows through flows through the oceans. the oceans. Currents carry water Currents carry water over very long over very long distances. distances.
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Ocean Currents What Are Currents? Current: a large stream of moving water that flows through the oceans. Currents carry water over very long distances.
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Ocean CurrentsOcean CurrentsWhat Are Currents?What Are Currents?
Current: a large Current: a large stream of stream of moving water moving water that flows that flows through the through the oceans.oceans.
Currents carry water Currents carry water over very long over very long distances.distances.
Surface Surface Currents:Currents: are are only several only several hundred meters hundred meters deep and are deep and are driven mainly by driven mainly by winds.winds.
In each of the 5 oceans In each of the 5 oceans they follow a circular they follow a circular pattern. pattern.
Coriolis Effect: the Coriolis Effect: the effect of the Earth’s effect of the Earth’s rotation on large rotation on large scale wind patterns.scale wind patterns.
In the northern In the northern hemisphere it hemisphere it causes currents to causes currents to curve right. (left in curve right. (left in the southern the southern hemisphere)hemisphere)
Gulf Stream: Gulf Stream: is is the largest and the largest and most powerful most powerful surface current surface current in the North in the North Atlantic.Atlantic.
Carries 100 times as much Carries 100 times as much water as the Mississippi water as the Mississippi RiverRiver
Brings warm water northBrings warm water north Was first identified by Was first identified by
Ocean CurrentsOcean CurrentsImpact On ClimateImpact On Climate
As global currents As global currents move warm water move warm water around, they around, they greatly influence greatly influence the climates of the the climates of the world.world.
Without the Without the gulfstream, how do gulfstream, how do you think Europe’s you think Europe’s climate would climate would change? change?
What do you What do you think will think will happen as the happen as the glaciers melt glaciers melt near the poles near the poles and the oceans and the oceans become less become less salty?salty?
Ocean CurrentsOcean CurrentsUpwellingUpwelling
Upwelling: is the Upwelling: is the movement of movement of cold deep water cold deep water to the surface of to the surface of the ocean.the ocean.
Occurs as wind Occurs as wind blows away blows away warm surface warm surface water.water.