Ocean Currents: Dynamics and Significance for Marine Life

1. pg. 30 List 5 observation about the current map you drew on Friday Monday, October 3rd • Objective: I will identify the major ocean currents and circulation patterns. • Agenda: • Current Notes • Homework: • None

2. Pg. 29 Currents • = a large mass of continuously moving water. • Surface Ocean Currents – the largest currents that move across the ocean; they are like rivers that travel long distances. • usually caused by wind. • Deep Ocean Currents – warm water rises at the equator, flows until it cools, and sinks at the poles. This cold water flows along the bottom toward the equator where it warms and rises.

3. Causes of Currents • Three major factors that set ocean currents in motion: • Wind • Changes in sea level • Differences in water density

4. Coriolis Effect • The spinning Earth causes the winds and surface waters to move in a clockwise direction in the North (deflected to the east) and in a counterclockwise direction in the South (deflected to the west). • The continents deflect the currents, causing them to move in giant circles called gyres. • Wind driven currents are also called surface currents • Significant b/c they move plankton across the ocean.

5. Upwellings • The rising of vertical currents from the deep. • Significant b/c nutrients such as phosphates and nitrates are brought up. These are important for the growth of plankton = plankton are at the beginning of the food chains. • Causes by wind blowing offshore or sometimes parallel to shore & the Coriolis effect

6. RTW pg. 30 How do currents benefit life on earth? Tuesday, October 4th • Objective: I will identify the major ocean currents and circulation patterns. • Agenda: • Great Pacific Garbage Patch Article • Homework: • None

7. Annotate & highlight text and circle unknown words Start brainstorming, we will answer this tomorrow: Using support from the text, defend or refute the following statement: • Threats posed to marine life (like entanglement, resin pellets, and water pollution by way of photodegradation) are ultimately caused by the oceanic gyres.

8. No RTW, instead…Grab your iPad Wednesday, October 5th Go to: www.padlet.com/ltbarker/vocab List a word that you didn’t know in the article See if you can define any of the words your peers listed and provide it in a separate text box

9. Pg. 32 Using support from the text, defend or refute the following statement: • Threats posed to marine life (like entanglement, resin pellets, and water pollution by way of photodegradation) are ultimately caused by the oceanic gyres.

10. RTW pg. 30 What do you think is the biggest problem with the Giant Pacific Garbage Patch? Thursday, October 6th • Objective: I will identify the major ocean currents and circulation patterns. • Agenda: • Discuss Article • Current Model • Homework: • None

11. Pg. 30 RTW Friday, October 7th List as many types of waves you can think of. What do waves transfer? In this picture, what is happening to the gravitational potential energy of the drop?

12. What are Waves? Sound waves, visible light waves, radio waves, microwaves, water waves, sine waves, cosine waves, stadium waves, earthquake waves, waves on a string, slinky waves  - ALL types of Waves! Waves transfer ENERGY!! Gravitational potential energy of a water drop turns into kinetic energy, which transfers energy in the form of a WAVE!

13. Friday, October 7th • Objective: I will learn about the different parts of a wave and how energy is transferred through different mediums. • Agenda: • Wave Notes pg. 33/35 • Homework: • None

14. Waves and Energy

15. Anatomy of a Wave • A wave is the transmission of energy through matter. • Key word is “through.” • When energy moves through matter as a wave, matter moves, but … - overall doesn’t shift forward or backward. - It transmits the energy to adjacent matter, allowing the energy to continue.

16. Anatomy of a Wave • Does the water in a wave move? • Nope! The energy is transferred. The water molecules only move in small circles.

17. Anatomy of a Wave

18. Anatomy of a Wave Crest= highest point above average water level Trough= lowest point below average water level Height= vertical measurement from trough to crest Wavelength= horizontal distance between the peaks of two waves.

19. Anatomy of a Wave CREST AMPLITUDE WAVELENGTH TROUGH

20. Wave Characteristics • Deepwater Waves • Occur in water that is deeper than half their wavelength the bottom does not affect their orbital motion • Shallow-water • Occur in water that is shallower than half their wave-length • The bottom creates drag that affects their orbital motion.

21. Wave Characteristics Three factors that affect maximum wave size: • Wind Speed= faster than the wave • Wind Duration= time wind blows • Fetch= surface area over which the wind blows

22. Two Types of Waves • Transverse The motion of the medium is at right angles to the direction in which a wave travels Stretched strings of musical instruments, electromagnetic waves, S-waves in earthquakes • Longitudinal The particles of the medium move back and forth in the same direction in which the wave travels Sound waves, P-waves in earthquakes

23. Key Terms • Frequency – Number of cycles per unit of time (s), measured in Hz Frequency = 1/Period Period = 1/Frequency • Hz – One vibration per second • Wave Speed = wavelength * frequency ν=λf Wave speed depends on the medium through which the wave moves.

24. DiRT - Calculating Rate Distance = Rate * Time (D=RT) Rate = Distance / Time (R=D/T) Use the equation for rate when calculating wave speed.

25. Pg. 30 S.T.A.R What are the three things that affect the maximum wave size? What is the wave speed equation?