Understanding Ocean Currents Quiz
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Questions and Answers

What do ocean currents refer to?

  • The movement of magma beneath the Earth's crust
  • The migration of birds across different continents
  • The flow of air in the atmosphere
  • The movement of a fluid such as a gas or liquid (correct)

    • Which environmental factors influence ocean currents?

  • Solar flares and meteor showers
  • Moon phases and planetary alignment
  • Volcanic eruptions and earthquakes
  • Earth's rotation, wind, gravity, temperature, and salinity (correct)

    • How do ocean currents affect climate?

  • By causing earthquakes and volcanic eruptions
  • By changing the orbit of the Earth around the Sun
  • By creating hurricanes and tornadoes
  • By carrying heat and influencing wind patterns (correct)

    • Where do surface ocean currents occur?

    <p>In the upper layer or surface layer of the ocean</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What are the two main types of ocean currents mentioned in the text?

    <p>Surface currents and deep water currents</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What forces the southward ocean current to follow the coastlines of Europe and northwest Africa?

    <p>Earth's rotational equator</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Why do deepwater currents in the ocean move much slower compared to surface currents?

    <p>Density variations</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What term is used to describe ocean currents that are driven by differences in temperature and salt content throughout the water?

    <p>Thermohaline circulation</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Why does water with a higher salt content sink below the surface in the ocean?

    <p>Greater density</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What happens to water near the Earth's poles as it cools?

    <p>It sinks below the surface due to its coolness and increases in salinity.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary driving force of surface ocean currents?

    <p>Wind</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How do differences in water density influence ocean currents?

    <p>By affecting downward direction based on differences in salinity and temperature</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What influences the circular flow of major gyres in the oceans?

    <p>Coriolis effect</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What causes surface ocean currents to break up and dissipate some of their energy?

    <p>Continental deflection</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Why do gyres in the northern hemisphere rotate clockwise?

    <p>Due to the Coriolis effect</p> Signup and view all the answers

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