Duckies have been found in Hawaii, Alaska, S. America, Scotland, Washington state and Australia as of 2012.
We learned that it takes 3 years to complete one circuit of the North Pacific Gyre
flow in the upper 1,000 meters of ocean driven by global winds N. and S. hemispheres each have two circulations caused by the Coriolis Effect clockwise in N. hemisphere counterclockwise in S. hemisphere
cold currents- move towards the Equator Eastern sides of ocean basins warm currents- move towards poles Western sides of ocean basins Relationship between temperature and direction of flow.
2 sets of global winds drive currents Trade winds- blow from NE in N. hemisphere; SE in S. hemisphere Westerlies- blow from SW in N. hemisphere; NW in S. hemisphere Earth s rotation & continents push currents along path of travel Predict the direction of hurricane winds along the east coast of North America Winds Currents
Gulf Stream N. Atlantic Canary N. Equatorial California Labrador West Wind Drift
flow in opposite direction of wind-related currents return water taken away from one side of the ocean basin to the opposite side EX: Equatorial Countercurrents
driven by gravity & differences in density Density current= heavier & denser than surrounding water Sink to bottom from surface move very slowly Circulate for 500-2000 years
global circulation of deep ocean currents transports warm water to colder areas & cold water to warmer areas efficient heat-transport system drives Earth s climate!!
Ocean Conveyor Belt drives the Earth s climate!
carry oxygen absorbed from surface for deep sea life retain same temperature, salinity, & density as surface turbidity currents are an example of VERTICAL density currents!
polar water is the most dense because it s cold when water freezes, it leaves behind salt both of these factors increase density depth of a water mass or current depends on its density
increased evaporation leaves salt behind, which increases the density dense water sinks and is replaced with less dense water Example: Mediterranean
vertical density currents that occur when cold deep water comes to the surface can occur anywhere, prevalent along western coasts of continents
1. surface winds push water away from continent 2. denser, salty water suddenly sinks
large amounts of nutrients come to surface phytoplankton populations cultivate and provide food for marine life Large-scale fishing areas Examples: California, Morocco, southwestern Africa, Peru, western Australia
twice-daily rise and fall of Earth s oceans result of gravitational pulls from moon and sun reach different levels depending on Earth s location in relation to moon and sun Moon has a greater effect since it is closer The closer an object is to another the greater the gravitational pull. The sun s influence is about ½ of that of the moon s.
Moon s effect on the tides: Indirect high tide Low tide Direct high tide Moon s orbit Moon Low tide Uniform water level The moon orbits around Earth causes bulges to rotate around the Earth over the lunar month (~29 days). The moon rises about 50 minutes later each days so do the tides.
sun can enhance or detract from the moon s effects Spring Tides occur when the sun and moon are in alignment (enhances tides) High tides are higher and low tides are lower
Neap Tides occur when the sun and moon are at right angle (sun detracts from moon s pull) High tides are not as high and low tides are not as low http://www.onr.navy.mil/focus/ocean/motio n/tides1.htm
Tidal Range is the difference between high and low tides. more noticeable on oceans than lakes Small lakes show no tides at all Great Lakes have tides with ranges of just a few centimeters Ocean tidal ranges can vary greatly closer to the poles the greater the tidal range
The shapes of individual shorelines influence the tidal range A narrow bay has a greater tidal range than a wide coastal area. Bay of Fundy, High tide Bay of Fundy, Low tide