An indirect method of measuring ocean current is the use of
radar altimeters
Surface or wind-driven currents move water primarily in a vertical direction in the ocean.
False
Dynamic topography can be used to determine current direction and velocity.
True
Strong upwelling occurs in all of the following except:
where deep ocean water currents are formed.
Downwelling may be the result of winds blowing parallel to a coastline or the convergence of surface currents.
True
Of the following locations, where would upwelling be expected to occur?
1. Where there is a shallowly submerged sea floor obstruction, such as a table mount
2. In areas of diverging surface currents, such as along the equator
3. Where there is a sharp bend in a coastline
4. In areas of offshore winds
Deep ocean current movement is also known as __________.
thermohaline flow
Compared to Antarctic Bottom Water, North Atlantic Deep Water is:
lower in oxygen.
Sources of deep water in the ocean include all of the following except:
subtropical convergences
Deep ocean currents often move cold, dense water away from the poles.
True
Deep ocean water does not travel across the equator.
False
The densest ocean water is North Atlantic Deep Water.
False
The actual movement of surface water due to Ekman transport in the Northern Hemisphere is about __________.
45� to the right of wind direction
Surface ocean currents are driven primarily by ________ and modified by ________.
wind; the Coriolis effect and land
Equatorial currents are driven by the:
trade winds.
Compared to an eastern boundary current in a gyre, which of the following statements is true for a western boundary current?
warmer water
narrower current
deeper current
increased current velocity
All of the above statements are true of western boundary currents.
Compared to western boundary currents, eastern boundary currents are:
broad and slow.
The Ekman spiral is caused by:
the wind and the Coriolis effect.
In the southern hemisphere, the direction of Ekman transport is always:
to the left of the wind direction.
Western intensification causes:
1. equatorial countercurrents.
2. a steeper slope of surface water in the western section of the gyre as compare to the eastern section of the gyre.
3. very swift western boundary currents.
4. the center of the gyre to be shift to the west.
5.All of the a
Surface ocean currents are vertical currents in the water column that are density-driven.
False
Western boundary currents such as the Gulf Stream transport warm water from the tropics towards higher latitudes
True
In the northern hemisphere, Ekman transport pushes surface water to the right of the wind direction.
True
Of the following statements about subtropical gyres, which is/are true
1. Globally, there are five subtropical gyres.
2. The rotation of each subtropical gyre causes a "hill" of water to pile up within it.
3. The western boundary current of all subtropical gyres is intensified (it is fast, narrow, and deep).
4. There are fou
Of the following surface currents, which one(s) flow generally from west to east?
1.Equatorial Counter Current
2. West Wind Drift
3. North Pacific Current
The West Wind Drift (Antarctic Circumpolar Current) is a part of which of the following subtropical gyres?
1. Indian Ocean Subtropical Gyre
2. South Atlantic Subtropical Gyre
3. South Pacific Subtropical Gyre
The largest of the great ocean surface currents is the __________.
West Wind Drift
Indian Ocean currents that are generated by seasonal changes in weather patterns are the __________ and __________ Currents.
Somali/Southwest Monsoon
All are true of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current except:
the Antarctic Circumpolar Current contributes to the development of Antarctic bottom water in the WEDDELL Sea.
During winter months, monsoon winds over the Indian Ocean:
flow from land to sea and are dry.
The worldwide effects of El Ni�o include all of the following except:
drought in the U.S. Gulf coastal states.
The West Wind Drift occurs at 60�N around the Arctic Circle.
False
Monsoons are seasonal pressure systems that develop at lower latitudes over continents, which cause changes in seasonal winds and precipitation patterns.
True
Of the following conditions, which is/are related to strong El Ni�o events?
1. Increased abundance of hurricanes in the eastern Pacific Ocean
2. Higher sea levels in the eastern Pacific Ocean associated with warmer water
3. Increase in sea surface temperatures and destruction of coral reefs in the eastern Pacific Ocean
downwelling
movement of water from the top to the bottom of the water column
geostrophic current
water flow driven by gravity and modified by the Coriolis force
Benguela Current
cold current, southern hemisphere, temperate latitudes
Canary Current
cold current, northern hemisphere, temperate latitudes
Kuroshio Current
northern hemisphere, temperate latitudes, warm current