homework

1. Which ocean current is the strongest and fastest ocean current in the world?
Gulf Stream
Which current that flows along the equator is driven by a difference in sea level
caused by ocean circulation patterns?
-Equatorial Countercurrent in the Pacific Ocean
-North Equatorial Current in the North Atlantic Gyre
-South Equatorial Current in the North Pacific Gyre
-North Equatorial Current in the North Pacific Gyre
-South Equatorial Current in the Indian Ocean Gyre Equatorial Countercurrent in
the Pacific Ocean
What factor(s) drive(s) Ekman transport?
boat movement
water temperature
wind
Coriolis effect
water salinity -Wind
-Coriolis effect
In which direction does the surface current move in relation to the wind in the
Southern Hemisphere?
in the same direction
45 degrees to the right
45 degrees to the left
90 degrees to the left
90 degrees to the right 45 degrees to the left
Why do the lengths of the arrows in the Ekman spiral get shorter and shorter as you
move deeper into the water column?
There is less water in each progressive layer.
There is less light transmission with increased depth.
Deeper water moves at a slower speed due to friction.
The temperature gets colder with depth.
The Coriolis effect weakens as depth increases. Deeper water moves at a slower
speed due to friction.

2. Of the following locations, where would upwelling be expected to occur? Choose all
that apply.
-Where seamounts or table mounts are present
-Where there is a sharp bend in a coastline
-In areas of converging surface currents
-In regions with a well developed
pycnocline
-In areas of diverging surface currents - In areas of diverging surface currents
- Where seamounts or tablemounts are present
- where there is a sharp bend in a coastline
Downwelling can result from __________.
Ekman transport away from a coast
strong offshore winds
diverging surface currents
an ocean current flowing over submerged banks or seamounts
converging surface currents converging surface currents
One of the world's most powerful currents, located off the east coast of the United
States, is the __________.
Kuroshio Current
Gulf Stream
Canary Current
North Equatorial Current
North Atlantic Current Gulf Stream
The Gulf Stream transports warm water into the __________.
Caribbean Sea
Eastern Atlantic
North Atlantic
South Atlantic
Gulf of Mexico North Atlantic
Fluctuations in the flow of the Gulf Stream current result in curving loops of water
known as __________.
eddies
fronts
meanders meanders
Ocean frontal systems that spin off from currents such as the Gulf Stream, akin to
atmospheric storms, are known as __________.
eddies
meanders

3. geostrophic flow eddies
When a meander from the Gulf Stream pinches off into the warm water south of the
current, the eddy is called a __________.
-cyclonic circulation
-Langmuir cell
-warm-core eddy or ring
-cold-core eddy or ring
-geostrophic circulation cold-core eddy or ring
The thermocline is _________________.
-a steep gradient in the ocean that separates deeper less salty water from saltier
upper water.
-a steep temperature gradient in the ocean that separates deeper cold water from
warmer upper water
-a steep temperature gradient in the ocean that separates deeper warm water from
colder upper water
-a steep gradient in the ocean that separates deeper saltier water from less salty
upper water a steep temperature gradient in the ocean that separates deeper
cold water from warmer upper water
What is the Walker Circulation Cell?
-It is the path that air takes as it moves from high to low pressure, and back to high
pressure, in the South Pacific under El Niño conditions.
-It is the path that air takes as it moves from high to low pressure, and back to high
pressure, in the South Pacific under normal conditions.
-It is the path that air takes as it moves from high to low pressure, and back to high
pressure, in the South Atlantic under El Niño conditions.
-It is the path that air takes as it moves from high to low pressure, and back to high
pressure, in the North Pacific under normal conditions.
-It is the path that air takes as it moves from high to low pressure, and back to high
pressure, in the South Atlantic under normal conditions. It is the path that air
takes as it moves from high to low pressure, and back to high pressure, in the South
Pacific under normal conditions.
Why does upwelling occur along the west coast of South America under normal
conditions?
Winds moving northward in the South Pacific drive ocean currents toward the north;
deep water rises to replace water driven northward.
Winds moving eastward in the South Pacific drive ocean currents toward the east;
deep water rises to replace water driven eastward.

4. Winds moving westward in the South Pacific drive ocean currents toward the west;
deep water rises to replace water driven westward.
Winds moving southward in the South Pacific drive ocean currents toward the
south; deep water rises to replace water driven southward. Winds moving
westward in the South Pacific drive ocean currents toward the west; deep water
rises to replace water driven westward.
What would you expect weather to be like on the eastern coast of Australia if the
western coast of South America were experiencing unusually warm, wet weather?
The eastern coast of Australia would be experiencing unusually dry weather.
The eastern coast of Australia would be experiencing unusually warm weather.
The eastern coast of Australia would be experiencing unusually cool weather.
The eastern coast of Australia would be experiencing unusually wet weather. The
eastern coast of Australia would be experiencing unusually dry weather.
Which direction do ocean currents in the South Pacific move under El Niño
conditions?
northward
westward
southward
eastward eastward
What is the Southern Oscillation?
the swapping of high and low temperature zones in the South Pacific under normal
conditions
the swapping of high and low pressure zones in the South Pacific under normal
conditions
the swapping of high and low temperature zones in the South Pacific under El Niño
conditions
the swapping of high and low pressure zones in the South Pacific under El Niño
conditions the swapping of high and low pressure zones in the South Pacific
under El Niño conditions
Under which conditions are droughts and wildfires common in Australia?
under La Niña conditions
under Walker Circulation conditions
under normal conditions
under El Niño conditions under El Niño conditions
What is the overall effect of the stronger than normal trade winds typical of La Niña
conditions?
-swapping of the South Pacific high and low pressure zones from normal conditions
-flipping of the South Pacific ocean current direction from normal conditions

5. -raising of the South Pacific ocean temperature from normal conditions
-lowering of the South Pacific ocean temperature from normal conditions
lowering of the South Pacific ocean temperature from normal conditions
Recall that global winds impact the direction of surface ocean currents. Examine the
following map showing the Atlantic Ocean off the west coast of Africa. The direction
of the surface current and the prevailing wind do not coincide. What can explain this
discrepancy?
-The Coriolis effect deflects ocean currents in the Southern Hemisphere to the left
due to Earth's rotation.
-The current is being pulled in a clockwise direction because the subtropical gyre is
located in the Southern Hemisphere.
-Because the current is located in the Southern Hemisphere, the subtropical gyre
pulls the current in a counterclockwise direction.
-The ocean current is being deflected to the right due to the Coriolis effect. - The
Coriolis effect deflects ocean currents in the Southern Hemisphere to the left due to
Earth's rotation.
- Because the current is located in the Southern Hemisphere, the subtropical gyre
pulls the current in a counterclockwise direction.
Palm trees associated with the subtropics can be found at the northern tip of the
British Isles in Scotland. This is due to the transfer of heat from the ___ North
Atlantic Current
_____ is caused by density changes near the poles and equator. thermohaline
circulation
Waters along the California coast are colder than those along the mid-Atlantic shore
of the U.S. because Coastal Upwelling
Freezing seawater at _____ leads to increases in salinity and density high latitudes
Which force(s) drive(s) water circulation in the deep ocean?
differences in water temperature
wind
differences in water salinity
differences in water density
differences in water pH - differences in water density
- differences in water temperature
- differences in water salinity
Why is Antarctic Bottom Water so dense?
It is only seasonally warmed by the sun.
It warms as it approaches the equator.
It is extremely fresh due to ice melt.

6. It is under immense pressure.
It is cold and salty. It is cold and salty.
Which process causes downwelling off the coast of Antarctica?
icebergs sinking
seasonal warming
ice formation
mixing within the pycnocline
ice melting ice formation
Surface ocean currents ___.
-are driven by winds
-transfer large amounts of heat from the high latitudes toward the equator
-form large rotating gyres in the major ocean basins
-are influenced by Coriolis effect -Are driven by winds
-Form large rotating gyres in the major ocean basins
-Are influenced by Coriolis effect
Equatorial currents that are part of the subtropical gyres flow ___. Equatorial counter
currents between the gyres flow ___ .
west to east; west to east
east to west; east to west
east to west; west to east
west to east; east to west east to west; west to east
Warm ocean currents ___.
-are warmer than 15 degrees Celsius
-are warmer than the surrounding water
-generally flow from high latitudes towards the equator
-generally flow along the west coasts of continents are warmer than the
surrounding water
Cool ocean currents ___.
are still warmer than the surrounding water
are cooler than 15 degrees C
generally flow along the east coasts of continents
generally flow from high latitudes towards the equator generally flow from high
latitudes towards the equator
The subtropical gyres ___.
-are only important because the currents affect ships crossing them
-play a large role in climate
-result from changes in water density (due to temperature and salt content)
-drive the trade winds play a large role in climate

7. Deep ocean currents ___.
-include deep water that rises in the North Atlantic and surface water that sinks in
the Pacific and Indian Oceans
-result from changes in water density (due to temperature and salt content)
-are primarily driven by wind patterns result from changes in water density (due
to temperature and salt content)
Ocean surface currents transfer about ________ of the total amount of heat from the
tropics to the poles.
one third
three fourths
two thirds
one half
one fourth one-third
Which of the following methods are used to measure ocean surface currents
indirectly?
Free drifting Argo floats
Accidental spills from container ships
Pressure gradients
Radio transmitting float bottles
Propeller flow meters Pressure gradients
Which of the following methods are used to measure ocean surface currents
directly?
Radar altimeters
Doppler flow meters
Pressure gradients
Radio transmitting float bottles
Anchored buoys Radio-transmitting float bottles
Which of the following methods are used to measure ocean surface currents
directly?
Pressure gradients
Doppler flow meters
Accidental spills from container ships
Radar altimeters
Anchored buoys Accidental spills from container ships
Which of the following methods are used to measure deep ocean currents directly?
Radio transmitting float bottles
Accidental spills from container ships
Radar altimeters

8. Propeller flow meters
Free drifting Argo floats Free-drifting Argo floats
Which of the following statements is true of surface ocean currents?
-Surface currents concentrate warm water in the center of the gyre at mid latitudes.
-Surface currents transport cold water toward the poles.
-Surface currents form circular patterns in the major ocean basins called "gyres."
-Surface currents occur within and below the pycnocline.
-Surface currents transport warm water toward the equator. Surface currents
form circular patterns in the major ocean basins called "gyres."
The Ekman spiral is caused by:
the wind and the Coriolis effect.
pressure gradients.
the wind and gravity.
the pycnocline.
density differences in the water column. the wind and the Coriolis effect.
Compared to an eastern boundary current in a gyre, which of the following
statements is true for a western boundary current?
warmer water
increased current velocity
narrower current
deeper current
All the above statements are true of western boundary currents. All the above
statements are true of western boundary currents.
Equatorial currents are driven by the:
trade winds.
westerlies.
Coriolis force.
Ekman transport.
density. trade winds.
In the southern hemisphere, the direction of Ekman transport is always:
to the right of the wind direction.
at a 45° angle from the wind direction.
perpendicular to the wind direction.
to the east of the wind direction.
to the left of the wind direction. to the left of the wind direction.
Which of the following two factors cause geostrophic circulation within a gyre?
salinity and gravity.
gravity and the Coriolis effect.

9. temperature and pressure.
the wind and pressure.
density and the wind. gravity and the Coriolis effect.
Western intensification causes:
-very swift western boundary currents.
-All the above effects are the result of western intensification. All the above
effects are the result of western intensification.
About what percent of the wind's energy is transferred to the ocean surface?
Five
Two
Fifty
Ten
Twenty Two
An increase in seawater density can be caused by a ________ in temperature or a/an
________ in salinity.
increase; decrease
decrease; decrease
decrease; increase
increase; increase decrease; increase
The Brazil Current is an example of which of the following types of currents?
Eastern Boundary Current
Equatorial Counter Current
Northern Boundary Current
Southern Boundary Current
Western Boundary Current Western Boundary Current
The Kuroshio (Japan) Current is an example of which of the following types of
currents?
Eastern Boundary Current
Equatorial Counter Current
Northern Boundary Current
Southern Boundary Current
Western Boundary Current Western Boundary Current
The California Current is an example of which of the following types of currents?
Eastern Boundary Current
Equatorial Counter Current
Northern Boundary Current
Southern Boundary Current

10. Western Boundary Current Eastern Boundary Current
The Benguela Current is an example of which of the following types of currents?
Eastern Boundary Current
Equatorial Counter Current
Northern Boundary Current
Southern Boundary Current
Western Boundary Current Eastern Boundary Current
The observation of a hill of water within all subtropical gyres is an example of which
of the following?
Western intensification
Eastern intensification
Geostrophic current
Subtropical convergence
Equatorial upwelling Subtropical convergence
The observation that ships and icebergs in the southern hemisphere float to the left
of the wind direction is an example of which of the following?
Equatorial upwelling
Western intensification
Ekman transport
Eastern intensification
Geostrophic current Ekman transport
Coastal winds can cause upwelling or downwelling due to which of the following?
Eastern intensification
Ekman transport
Equatorial upwelling
Western intensification
Geostrophic current Ekman transport
Which of the following currents contributes to the South Eastern United States
being humid?
North Atlantic Current
Gulf Stream
Brazil Current
North Equatorial Current
California Current Gulf Stream
To produce a surface current of 1.6 knots in the open ocean, a steady wind of _____
knots would be required.
50
40

11. 100
80
60 80
Of the following gyres, which one(s) flow in a counterclockwise direction? Choose all
that apply.
Northern Hemisphere Subpolar Gyres
North Pacific Subtropical Gyre
North Atlantic Subtropical Gyre
South Atlantic Subtropical Gyre
South Pacific Subtropical Gyre
Indian Ocean Subtropical Gyre - South Atlantic Subtropical Gyre
- South Pacific Subtropical Gyre
- Northern Hemisphere Subpolar Gyres
- Indian Ocean Subtropical Gyre
Of the following statements about the Ekman spiral and Ekman transport, which
is/are true? Choose all that apply. - Ekman transport is to the right of the wind
direction in the Northern Hemisphere.
- Ekman transport can result in both upwelling and downwelling.
- The Coriolis effect causes surface waters to move at an angle relative to the wind
direction.
- In the deeper layers of the Ekman spiral, water can move in a direction opposite of
the wind direction.
Of the following surface currents, which one(s) transport large volumes of warm
water to higher latitudes? Choose all that apply.
Brazil Current
Peru Current
Kuroshio Current
the Gulf Stream
Canary Current
North Pacific Current - Kuroshio Current
- Brazil Current
- the Gulf Stream
Surface waters are pushed away from land and replaced by nutrient-rich bottom
water through:
sea breezes.
downwelling.
upwelling.
convergence.

12. land breezes. upwelling.
Converging surface waters are areas of ________ and ________ productivity.
upwelling; high
downwelling; low
upwelling; low
downwelling; high downwelling; low
Coastal upwelling along the coast of Chile is a result of winds from the ________
turning towards the ________ due to Ekman transport
south; left
north; right
south; right
north; left. south; left
The El Niño Southern Oscillation can best be described as: the relationship
between sea surface temperature and changing atmospheric pressure.
During winter months, monsoon winds over the Indian Ocean:
the direction of airflow is unchanged but precipitation increases.
flow from land to sea and are wet.
flow from sea to land and are wet.
flow from sea to land and are dry.
flow from land to sea and are dry. flow from land to sea and are dry.
Which of the following is the only current that completely circumscribes Earth?
South Equatorial
Benguela
Malvinas
Antarctic Circumpolar
South Australian Antarctic Circumpolar
Which of the following Atlantic Subtropical gyre boundary currents is split into two
by a large landmass?
Brazil Current
South Equatorial Current
Benguela Current
Canary Current
North Atlantic Current South Equatorial Current
Between summer and winter, which of the following currents reverses its flow
direction?
Brazil Current
Falkland Current
California Current

13. Somali Current
Florida Current Somali Current
Which of the following currents is responsible for Peru becoming the largest
producer of fish, from the sea, in the world?
Brazil Current
Falkland Current
Humboldt Current
Canary Current
Somali Current Humboldt Current
Warm core rings and cold core rings are associated with __________.
equatorial countercurrents
eastern boundary currents
contour currents
tropical cyclones
western boundary currents western boundary currents
The false-color map of sea surface temperatures shown below is an example of
which of the following features?
Eddies
Monsoons
Cyclones
Upwelling
El Nino conditions El Nino conditions
Thermohaline circulation is driven by:
longitude.
density differences.
latitude.
the Coriolis effect.
wind. density differences.
Records indicate that the ocean is warming faster in the Arctic polar regions than
elsewhere. If that continues, a possible consequence could be __________. slowing
of deep ocean circulation, resulting in lower oxygen levels in deep water
Deep ocean current movement is also known as __________.
equatorial downwelling
the Antarctic Divergence
Ekman transport
thermohaline flow
Walker circulation thermohaline flow
Based on the graph, which of the following has the lowest temperature?

14. Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW)
Antarctic Intermediate Water (AAIW)
Mediterranean Intermediate Water (MIW)
North Atlantic Central Surface Water (NACSW)
North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW) Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW)
Based on the graph, which of the following has the highest salinity?
Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW)
Antarctic Intermediate Water (AAIW)
Mediterranean Intermediate Water (MIW)
North Atlantic Central Surface Water (NACSW)
North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW) Mediterranean Intermediate Water (MIW)
Based on the graph, which of the following has the lowest density?
Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW)
Antarctic Intermediate Water (AAIW)
Mediterranean Intermediate Water (MIW)
North Atlantic Central Surface Water (NACSW)
North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW) North Atlantic Central Surface Water
(NACSW)
Western intensification is ________.
-found only in the northern Pacific Ocean
-caused by the rotational center of a gyre being located to the west of the ocean
basin's geographic center, thus causing more water to flow within a narrower
"channel"
-another name for the process of thermohaline flow
-demonstrated by El Niño
-another term for Ekman transport caused by the rotational center of a gyre
being located to the west of the ocean basin's geographic center, thus causing more
water to flow within a narrower "channel"
In subtropical gyres, western boundary currents have all of the following
characteristics except being __________.
relatively deep
relatively wide
relatively fast
relatively warm relatively wide
Which of the following statements about El Niño events is false?

15. -Fishing along Peru and Ecuador is much better.
-The trade winds stop or even reverse.
-Upwelling slows or halts offshore of South America.
-A low-pressure zone migrates eastward toward Peru.
-There is a deeper wedge of warm water off South America. Fishing along Peru
and Ecuador is much better.
The atmospheric circulation cell located in the equatorial South Pacific and created
by the movement of air between high- and low-pressure regions is called the
__________.
gyros cell
thermohaline cell
Hadley cell
Walker cell
Ferrel cell Walker cell
The ocean's deep water is initially formed at the _________ and in _________ regions.
surface; subpolar
surface; subtropical
ocean floor; subpolar
ocean floor; subtropical surface; subpolar
Subtropical gyres flow counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise
in the Southern Hemisphere.
True
False False
Which of the following is an example of a western boundary current of a subtropical
gyre?
the West Australian Current
the Kuroshio Current
the Labrador Current
the Canary Current
the California Current the Kuroshio Current
Which of the following currents does not belong with the others as part of the same
gyre?
the South Equatorial Current
the Benguela Current

16. the West Wind Drift
the Agulhas Current
the Brazil Current the Agulhas Current
The Gulf Stream is a ________ current that flows ________.
cold; west
warm; north
warm; west
cold; north
warm; south
cold; south warm; north
The Peru Current is a _______ current that flows _______.
cold; south
warm; east
warm; north
warm; south
cold; east
cold; north cold; north
The East Australian Current is a ________ current that flows ________.
warm; south
cold; north
cold; south
warm; east
warm; north
cold; east warm; south