What are 2 causes for deep currents?
Oceanic currents are driven by three main factors:
- The rise and fall of the tides. Tides create a current in the oceans, which are strongest near the shore, and in bays and estuaries along the coast. …
- Wind. Winds drive currents that are at or near the ocean's surface. …
- Thermohaline circulation.
Feb 26, 2021
What is responsible for deep water currents?
In contrast to wind-driven surface currents, deep-ocean currents are caused by differences in water density. The process that creates deep currents is called thermohaline circulation—“thermo” referring to temperature and “haline” to saltiness.
What is responsible for deepwater currents quizlet?
Surface currents are caused by wind; deepwater currents are caused by differences in water density.
What is the main driver of deep ocean circulation?
density differences Deep ocean circulation. Deep ocean circulation is primarily driven by density differences. It is called thermohaline circulation, because density differences are due to temperature and salinity. Density differences are small and the flow velocity is low, of the order of a few cm/s.
What is responsible for surface currents?
Surface currents in the ocean are driven by global wind systems that are fueled by energy from the Sun. Patterns of surface currents are determined by wind direction, Coriolis forces from the Earth's rotation, and the position of landforms that interact with the currents.
What three things cause surface currents?
Surface currents are controlled by three factors: global winds, the Coriolis effect, and continental deflections. surface create surface currents in the ocean. Different winds cause currents to flow in different directions. objects from a straight path due to the Earth's rotation.
What causes surface currents and deep currents quizlet?
Surface currents occur at the surface of the ocean and are caused by global winds; the Gulf Stream is an example. Deep currents occur deep in the ocean and are influenced by water density, salinity, and temperature.
How do deep ocean currents form quizlet?
Deep currents form because of density differences. Dense water sinks to the bottom of the ocean and forms deep currents.
What is the most important cause of surface currents?
Wind is the most important cause of surface currents. When strong, sustained winds blow across the sea, friction drags a thin layer of water into motion. The movement of the very topmost layer of the sea pulls on the water just beneath, which then in turn starts the layer under it moving.
What are three factors that control deep currents?
What are three factors that control deep currents? Density, salinity, and temperature; accept also the Coriolis effect.
Where does deep bottom water come from?
Bottom waters are formed in the high latitudes of both hemispheres. In the Northern Hemisphere the densest waters are formed in the North Atlantic Ocean, in the Labrador and Greenland seas.
What are the three factors that control deep currents?
What are three factors that control deep currents? Density, salinity, and temperature; accept also the Coriolis effect.
What are surface currents mainly caused by?
Surface currents in the ocean are driven by global wind systems that are fueled by energy from the Sun. Patterns of surface currents are determined by wind direction, Coriolis forces from the Earth's rotation, and the position of landforms that interact with the currents.
What natural process is the main cause of the ocean currents?
Surface currents in the ocean are driven by global wind systems that are fueled by energy from the sun. Patterns of surface currents are determined by wind direction, Coriolis forces from the Earth's rotation, and the position of landforms that interact with the currents.
What causes surface currents and deep currents?
Winds, water density, and tides all drive ocean currents. Coastal and sea floor features influence their location, direction, and speed. Earth's rotation results in the Coriolis effect which also influences ocean currents.
How do the causes of surface and deepwater currents differ?
Surface wind-driven currents generate upwelling currents in conjunction with landforms, creating deepwater currents. Currents may also be caused by density differences in water masses due to temperature (thermo) and salinity (haline) variations via a process known as thermohaline circulation.
Why does bottom water not form in the Pacific ocean?
The Arctic Ocean is less important as a source of bottom water because it is isolated by topographic barriers. The Bering Sill prevents flow into the Pacific, and submarine ridges and banks between Greenland and the British Isles block its entry into the Atlantic.
Why does deep water only form in the Atlantic and not the Pacific?
Abstract. The Atlantic Ocean is known to have higher sea surface salinity than the Pacific Ocean at all latitudes. This is thought to be associated with the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation and deep water formation in the high latitude North Atlantic – a phenomenon not present anywhere in the Pacific.
Where are deep water currents found?
Thermohaline circulation Deep ocean currents are driven by density and temperature gradients. This thermohaline circulation is also known as the ocean's conveyor belt. These currents, sometimes called submarine rivers, flow deep below the surface of the ocean and are hidden from immediate detection.
What is the most common source of energy for surface currents?
Surface currents Large-scale surface ocean currents are driven by global wind systems that are fueled by energy from the sun. These currents transfer heat from the tropics to the polar regions, influencing local and global climate.
Why can deep water form in the north Atlantic but not in the North Pacific?
In contrast to the North Atlantic and Southern Oceans, the North Pacific does not currently form deep water, due to regional density stratification caused by low salinity in surface waters (Figure 1) (Warren, 1983; Emile-Geay et al., 2003; Ferreira et al., 2010).
What causes deep water formation?
Deep waters are "formed" where the air temperatures are cold and where the salinity of the surface waters are relatively high. The combinations of salinity and cold temperatures make the water denser and cause it to sink to the bottom. Places where the water is cold enough and salty enough to form bottom water.
Which ocean is better Atlantic or Pacific?
Looking at the entire oceans, however, the Pacific Ocean is by far the warmest overall ocean because it has about four times the intense sun-heated surface area in the tropics compared with the Atlantic Ocean.
Which ocean is the deepest?
western Pacific Ocean The deepest part of the ocean is called the Challenger Deep and is located beneath the western Pacific Ocean in the southern end of the Mariana Trench, which runs several hundred kilometers southwest of the U.S. territorial island of Guam. Challenger Deep is approximately 10,935 meters (35,876 feet) deep.
Where do deep ocean currents begin?
2:274:33How do ocean currents work? – Jennifer Verduin – YouTubeYouTube
Do deep ocean currents move cold water?
Deep Ocean Currents In the North Atlantic, however, it can get so cold that even the ocean water will freeze. When salt water freezes, it leaves behind a lot of extra salt, making for really dense water. Think of that dense water as heavy.
Why can no deepwater form in the Pacific?
In contrast to the North Atlantic and Southern Oceans, the North Pacific does not currently form deep water, due to regional density stratification caused by low salinity in surface waters (Figure 1) (Warren, 1983; Emile-Geay et al., 2003; Ferreira et al., 2010).
What is the deepest source of water?
Lake Baikal (5,315 feet (1,620 meters)) Lake Baikal, in Siberia, holds the distinction of being both the deepest lake in the world and the largest freshwater lake, holding more than 20% of the unfrozen fresh water on the surface of Earth.
What is the dirtiest ocean in the world?
Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean is probably the most polluted ocean in the world. The United Nations Environment Programme has estimated that 650,000,000 tons of sewage, 129,000 tons of mineral oil, 60,000 tons of mercury, 3,800 tons of lead and 36,000 tons of phosphates are dumped into the Mediterranean each year.
What is the deadliest ocean?
The Cretaceous ocean ranks as the most dangerous sea of all time due to the sheer number and ferocity of its marine predators.