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Questions and Answers
What is a current?
What is a current?
- A large stream of moving water that flows through the oceans (correct)
- Water that flows only underground
- A stagnant body of water
- A small puddle of water
How deep do surface currents affect water?
How deep do surface currents affect water?
Several hundred meters
What drives surface currents?
What drives surface currents?
Winds
What is the Coriolis Effect?
What is the Coriolis Effect?
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What does the Gulf Stream do?
What does the Gulf Stream do?
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Study Notes
Ocean Currents Overview
- Currents are large streams of moving water that navigate through the oceans, influencing marine ecosystems and climate patterns.
Surface Currents
- Affect water to a depth of several hundred meters, playing a crucial role in global heat distribution.
- Driven mainly by winds, surface currents move in response to the prevailing wind patterns over the Earth's surface.
Coriolis Effect
- The Coriolis Effect describes how Earth’s rotation affects the direction of winds and currents, causing them to curve rather than flow in a straight line.
- This effect is critical in understanding the movement of ocean currents and their patterns.
Gulf Stream
- The Gulf Stream is a significant surface current that transports warm water from the Gulf of Mexico to the Caribbean Sea.
- Its warmth influences climate, particularly in the eastern United States and Western Europe, affecting weather patterns and marine biodiversity.
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