APES - MODULE 23 Unit 4 Test

what are ocean currents driven by?

unequal heating, gravity, wind, salinity, and continent location

Winds deflected by the Coriolis effect drive surface currents from __ to __

west to east

Currents rotate __ in the northern hemisphere

clockwise

Currents rotate __ in the southern hemisphere

counterclockwise

gyres

systems of circulating ocean currents

upwelling

As the surface currents move away, some of the water near the bottom moves upward

thermohaline circulation

When the surface water and deep-water mix, moving heat and nutrients around the globe

Around mountain ranges, air moving inland from the ocean contains__.

water vapor

As ocean wind moves up the windward side of a mountain, __ occurs

adiabatic cooling, air moisture is lost through precipitation

Once the wind moves down the leeward side, the wind has become __ and __.

warm & dry

rain shadow

a dry area on the leeward (downwind) side of a mountain - receives less precipitation than the windward (upwind) side

Coriolis effect cause water to flow from _ to _. (in the South Pacific)

east to west

NORMAL trade wind patterns

trade winds blow from east to west, pushing warm surface waters towards Asia, piling it up in the western Pacific

el nino 

occurs in the equatorial south pacific

trade winds weaken -warm surface water moves eastward and reduces upwelling of cold water off the coast of South America

El Niño effects on southern US

flooding

El Niño effects on northern US + Canada

warm + dry

la nina

returning back to normal from el Nina, but stronger

trade winds pick up again - blows warm water back into the western South Pacific, restarts the upwelling of cool water in eastern Pacific.

la nina effects

drought in Southern US, flooding near Asia