Exam 8: Ocean Circulation

Which ocean surface current transports the greatest volume of water?

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

The main force driving thermohaline circulation is ____.

What is ENSO?

Generally the fastest and deepest ocean currents are ____.

The largest of the western boundary currents is the ____.

Geostrophic currents are primarily wind driven.

Oceanographers name water masses according to their relative position. In temperate and tropical latitudes, there are ____common water masses.

A transverse current is a ____.

One source of dissolved gases and nutrients to deep waters is ____.

The densest water in ocean currents is the ____.

Surface water extends to a depth of about ____.

Thermohaline circulation is responsible for large-scale movements of ocean water and depends on both the salinity and the temperature of water.

El Niño results due to an interruption of flow of the ____ Current in the Pacific.

A sverdrup (sv)is a measure of ____.

Which of these is commonly an effect of El Niño?

Transverse currents can flow eastward or westward.

The primary force responsible for surface currents is ____.

San Francisco's characteristic cold and foggy weather is caused by a ____.

Coastal upwelling is most common in association with ____.