1. What is responsible for the movement of the ocean currents in the diagram below?

The direction of the winds

The Coriolis effect

The shape of the continents

2. Why do the ocean currents in the Northern Hemisphere gyres move

clockwise?

Coriolis Effect

Currents in the Northern Hemisphere are deflected to the right

Currents in the Southern Hemisphere to the left

3. Describe how the ocean currents distribute heat around

the globe. Warm water travels toward the poles taking heat with

it. Cold water travels toward the equator.

4. Describe how the Coriolis effect is different in the Northern Hemisphere

compared to the Southern Hemisphere.

*Northern Hemisphere: Spin is counterclockwise (to the RIGHT) when looking down on North Pole

*Southern Hemisphere Spin is clockwise (to the LEFT) when looking down on South Pole

5. Describe two factors that determine the density of ocean water

and explain how the weather can influence those two factors.

Temperature – the warmer water is, the less dense

Ex Sunlight – Temp goes up

 

Salinity – the saltier water is, the more dense

Ex Evaporation – Salinity goes up

Precipitation– Salinity goes down

6. Why is the temperature of ocean water so high at the

equator (0 degrees latitude)?

Most direct

Sunlight

7. Why is the salinity of water so low at the equator?

Tropical region so there is lots of rain

8. Describe what the density of ocean water is like at the equator compared to other regions

around the world.

•High temperature

•Low salinity

•Very low density

9. Describe how water at the equator will move relative to the ocean surface.

•Because it has a low salinity, it will rise to surface

10. Why is solar radiation more intense at the equator compared to solar radiation closer to

the poles?

Most direct

sunlight

11. List the major steps of the water cycle (from ocean to ocean)

Evaporation, Condensation, Precipitation, Runoff

12. Describe how evaporation is different from condensation. Evaporation – ocean or surface water evaporates and

forms water vapor in the atmosphere

Condensation – water vapor condenses to form water droplets and clouds

13. What is precipitation and in what forms does it show up

on the Earth’s surface? Precipitation – droplets gain enough

size to be pulled out of clouds by gravity and fall to Earth

Ex rain, snow, hail, sleet

14. How does the water cycle get the energy it needs to

function? The sun

15. In the North Atlantic Ocean, surface water sinks and becomes deep ocean water. Why does ocean water sink in that region of the

world? In high latitudes, ocean water is cold. Cooling increases water’s

density and it sinks.

16. In the Indian Ocean, deep ocean water rises and becomes surface water. Why does ocean

water rise in that region of the world?

Water is heated up at the equator so it

rises.

17. Which zone is the warmest? The coldest?

Surface

Deep

18. Which zone is the freshest? The saltiest?

Surface

Deep

19. Which zone has the most nutrients? The least?

Deep water

surface

20. Briefly describe the type of organisms in each zone.

Surface-Plankton

Transition-Fish/animals

Deep-Plants/some animals

21. Explain what upwelling is and how it distributes nutrients around

the ocean.

Cold deep water contains lots of nutrients because gravity pulls down the decaying remains of

fish.

Upwelling brings nutrients nearer to the surface and occurs near

when offshore winds move surface water away from the

shoreline, allowing cooler water to rise

22. List four processes that move CO2

into the atmosphere.

•Volcanic Eruption

•Respiration

•Burning Fossil Fuels (Combustion)

•Diffusion

23. Describe how photosynthesis fits into the

carbon cycle

Plants remove Carbon from the air and convert to glucose, C6H12O6

24. Describe how respiration fits into the carbon cycle.

Organisms take glucose, C6H12O6, and convert to CO2

25. List the five major reservoirs of carbon.

Rocks

Atmosphere

Biomass

Ocean

Fossil Fuels

26. What are two sources of heat that help drive the carbon

cycle? Volcanic Eruptions

Sunlight in Photosynthesis