Exam 6: Ocean Circulation

Summer months in San Francisco, California are cool, foggy, and mild.

England's weather is than would be expected at that latitude because of the influence of surface currents.

The densest water in ocean currents is the .

Surface currents are traced using a(n) .

Which of the following statements is true about an Ekman spiral?

During a non-El Niño year, trade winds blow from the normally high-pressure area over the eastern Pacific (near Central and South America) to the normally stable low-pressure area over the western Pacific (north of Australia).

Which ocean surface current transports the greatest volume of water?

Currents tend to move in large patterns in the Northern Hemisphere.

Antarctic Bottom Waters are the densest in the world, and characterized by temperatures and salinities than surface waters.

When an ENSO event occurs, warm equatorial waters flow in the equatorial Pacific.

Describe how wind can induce upwelling and downwelling near coastal cities? Give an example for each.

The largest of the western boundary currents is the .

A sverdrup (sv) is a measure of .

Describe how ocean currents affect the global distribution of heat and give an example of how they moderate climate.

Surface winds normally move across most of the tropical Pacific in a(n) direction.

Coastal upwelling is most common in association with in the Northern Hemisphere.

During an ENSO event, in the eastern Pacific.

How do scientists study currents?

Transverse currents can flow eastward or westward.

What two factors contribute to the density of water?