1 / 19

Ocean Currents

Ocean Currents. Ocean Currents. An ocean current is a large amount of ocean water that moves in a particular unchanging direction. There are more than 20 major ocean currents. Currents can be warm or cold, depending on their origin. http://www.pbslearningmedia.org/asset/ttv10_vid_currents/.

edl
Download Presentation

Ocean Currents

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Ocean Currents

  2. Ocean Currents • An ocean current is a large amount of ocean water that moves in a particular unchanging direction. • There are more than 20 major ocean currents. • Currents can be warm or cold, depending on their origin.

  3. http://www.pbslearningmedia.org/asset/ttv10_vid_currents/

  4. Two types of ocean currents • surface currents(extend to an average depth of 200m). • Thermohaline currents(occur deeper than 200m).

  5. Surface Currents • These are caused by: • wind action • the Earth’s spin (Coriolis Effect) • shape of the continents

  6. Wind Action • As air moves over the ocean’s surface, its energy is transferred by friction to the water molecules, causing the ocean water to move.

  7. Earth’s spin (Coriolis Effect) • Earth spins from west to east (counter-clockwise), as winds and currents move over this spinning body, their paths get re-directed depending on what side of the equator they are on. • As a result: • clockwise pattern in the northern hemisphere • counter-clockwise pattern in the southern hemisphere. • CoriolisEffect: http://video.mit.edu/watch/the-coriolis-effect-4407/

  8. Coriolis Effect Demo

  9. Shape of Continents • Moving currents are forced to turn when they meet a solid surface.

  10. Gyres • The currents in oceans appear to move in a circular pattern called gyres. The right side of gyres has cool water and the left side holds warm water (both affect weather on the land).

  11. Wind-driven surface currents Figure 7-4

  12. Antarctic surface circulation

  13. Atlantic Ocean surface currents

  14. The Gulf Stream and sea surface temperatures • The Gulf Stream is a warm, western intensified current • Meanders as it moves into the North Atlantic • Creates warm and cold core rings Figure 7-16

  15. Pacific Ocean surface currents Figure 7-17

  16. Indian Ocean surface currents Northeast monsoon Southwest monsoon

  17. Plastics in Our Ocean The great pacific garbage patch: • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qvf_zesN9Y • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azwKxDVGmns • Solutions  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljrbtYlku-k

  18. Surface Current Assignment • Rubber Ducks and Nike Shoes… • Complete the Nike Shoe Investigation

More Related