Term
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Definition
- surface currents (down to 1000m)
- move water horizontally
- 10% of ocean currents
- develops b/c of friction between wind and water
- 2% of the wind's energy is transferred to the ocean's surface
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Term
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Definition
| 1 nautical mile or 1.15 land miles (1.85 km) |
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Term
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Definition
- moves water vertically
- mixing water masses
- important in redistributing heat
- 90% of ocean movement
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Term
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Definition
- basic current meters: water movement (# of times)
- satellites
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Term
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Definition
| large system of rotating currents |
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Term
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Definition
- north atlantic
- south atlantic
- indian ocean
- north pacific
- south pacific
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Term
| the subtropical gyres are made of four main current types: |
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Definition
- equatorial currents
- western boundary currents
- northern and southern boundary currents (ex Benguela current)
- Eastern boundary currents
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Term
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Definition
- coreolis force
- shift to right (45 degrees)
- degree shift creates friction
- each layer will move slightly more to the right of 45 degrees
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Term
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Definition
- movement of deep water to surface
- hoists cold, nutrient-rich water to surface
- produces high productivities and abundant marine life
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Term
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Definition
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movement of surface water down
•Moves warm, nutrient-depleted surface water down
•Not associated with high productivities or abundant marine life
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Term
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Definition
make hill in center of gyres
valleys on outside
influenced by:
coreolis force
pressure gradient
ex) pacific garbage patch |
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Term
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Definition
a circular movement of water formed along the edge of a permanent current
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Term
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Definition
- rubber ducky
- rubber duckies feel over on a cargo ship in the 1990s and used the rubber duckies to trace the ocean currents
- showed up all over the place like scotland and new england
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
- transfer heat (equator to the poles 20%)
- transfer nutrients (phytoplankton)
- help distribute heat in ocean
- can transport nutrients, sediments, and organisms
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Term
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Definition
- california
- canary
- somalia
- benguela
- peru
- equatorial: splitting of the ocean but with currents, like divergent boundary
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Term
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Definition
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Surface currents follow atmospheric circulation patterns
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Term
| "hills and valleys" in the ocean |
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Definition
-
•A balance between the Ekman transport and Coriolis effect produces “hills” in the center of the gyres and “valleys” elsewhere
•Gravitational effects from sea floor features also produce variations in sea surface topography
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Term
| western boundary currents |
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Definition
narrow
fast
warm
to poles
ex) gulf stream, kuroshio |
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Term
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Definition
slow
wide
cold
towards the equator
California and Canary |
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Term
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Definition
current flowing westward near the equator
ex) N/S equatorial currents |
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Term
| northern/southern boundary current |
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
net movement of eckman spiral
90 degrees to the right |
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Term
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Definition
| eddy rotates clockwise found on landward side of current |
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Term
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Definition
| cyclonic eddy rotates counterclockwise forms on the ocean side of current |
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