Exam 7: Ocean Structure and Circulation

The sea surface at the center of the Sargasso Sea is depressed.

Usually temperature, salinity, and pressure distributions cause ocean water density to increase with depth.

The South Equatorial current of the Pacific Ocean moves surface water from the Southern Hemisphere to the Northern Hemisphere.

A water mass at depth in the ocean has temperatures and salinities that are usually determined by the conditions present when the water mass was last at the sea surface.

A south wind produces a ________ surface current in the Northern Hemisphere.

The average movement of all water affected by the wind is ________ degrees to the ________ of the wind motion in the Southern Hemisphere.

Southern Hemisphere winds move surface water 90 degrees to the left of the direction of the wind.

The highly productive seas along the equator are the result of the tropical convergence located there.

The Equatorial Counter current ________.

A rapid change in density with depth is called a ________.

Temperature affects density in the Arctic Ocean more than salinity.

An average value for the salinity of seawater could be (pick the best choice) ________.

The density of Arctic Ocean water is controlled more by salinity than by temperature.

A south wind produces a ________ flowing surface current in the Southern Hemisphere.

A seasonal north wind blowing along the west coast of a landmass in the Northern Hemisphere produces ________.

Which of the following has the highest density?

Prevailing ________ winds are needed to provide the net movement of surface water seaward along the west coast of North America.

Ocean currents are deflected to a greater degree by the Coriolis effect than by wind systems.

The Gulf Stream forms eddies, or rings, with cold water cores at the ________ edge of the Gulf Stream current.

A current meter measures water's ________.