Guided Notes about Ocean Movements

1. Guided Notes about Ocean Movements Chapter 15, Section 3

2. 1. A wave is a rhythmic movement that carries energy through space or matter. An ocean wave is generated by wind flowing over the water’s surface.

3. 2. The highest point in a wave is the crest, and the lowest is the trough. The vertical distance from crest to trough is the wave height.

4. 3. Wavelength is the horizontal crest-to-crest distance. Wave speed increases with wavelength.

5. 3 factors that determine wave height • Wind speed • Wind duration • Fetch, which is the expanse of water that the wind blows across

6. 5. Tides are a periodic rise and fall of sea level. The daily cycle of high and low tides takes 24 hours and 50 minutes.

7. 6. Surface currents affect the upper few hundred meters of the ocean. They follow predictable patterns because they are driven by Earth’s global wind systems.

8. 7. Earth’s continents deflect ocean currents to the north and south so that closed circular current systems, called gyres, develop. The gyres of the northern hemisphere circulate in a clockwise direction because of the Coriolis effect.

9. Define and state the importance of upwelling • Upwelling is the upward motion of ocean water from cold, lower depths to the surface. • Upwellings are important because they are rich in nutrients, which support abundant populations of marine life.