<p>Water Currents Notes: Student Handout</p><p>Label the World’s Ocean Currents on the Map below. Use a red marker to draw currents that move warm water and use a blue marker to draw currents that move cold water. Make sure you write the names of ALL of the currents. I. Water Currents: </p><p>______III. Surface A. Types of Water Currents: Currents 1. ______A. Surface 2. ______Currents are generally II. Gyres: ______currents that are driven by ____ A. Formed by: 1. ______2. ______3. ______B. Gyres include both ______and ______ocean currents.</p><p>______. They are located in the top ______meters of ocean water and occur in ______% of ocean water (the rest are deep water currents). B. Wind patterns move in ______directions in the ______hemisphere vs. the ______hemisphere causing Earth’s gyres to circle in opposite directions in those hemispheres.</p><p>IV. Surface Currents and the Ekman Spiral A. An Ekman spiral occurs when water ______the surface flows in a ______direction that the surface current. B. The top later movement is driven by ______. C. The deeper layers are set in ______by ______, ______or______. 2. Precipitation and V. Deep Ocean Currents A. Deep ocean currents are driven by ______and ______gradients (freshwater) entering the ocean pushes more dense water downward. (differences). 3. ______and freezing of ocean water 1. ______, also known as the (frozen water is typically ______) causes the ocean’s conveyor belt, refers to ______ocean ______- ocean water to be more ______and sink. driven currents. 2. These currents, which flow ______the VII. Upwelling surface of the ocean and are hidden from immediate detection are A. Upwelling occurs when ______water called ______. moves from the lower levels of the ocean toward the B. ______and ______. areas in the oceans are areas where significant ______movement of ocean water is observed. </p><p>VI. Thermohaline Currents (Thermo relates to temperature and haline refers to salinity) A. Thermohaline currents can be caused by: 1. Differences in ______and ______: Cold water and water with a B. Formed by the ______salinity is more dense and will ______blowing ______to the ______causing a current. surface of the water. C. Upwelling brings ______and ______to the ______from the bottom of the ocean. Warm water at the surface of the ocean tends to nutrient and oxygen poor. VIII. Global Conveyor Belt 3. ______, ______is much A. ______can flow for very long distances and together ______than the they form the ______surrounding tropical area due to the cold water ______. brought in by the 1. The Global Conveyor Belt plays a major role in determining ______and most the ______in most of Earth’s regions. ______currents. 2. The ______brings IX. Longshore Currents (Surface currents) warmer water from the equator towards ______A. Flow ______to the beach. causing the climate in Europe to be more ______B. Transport ______(warmer) than the rest of the countries at the same latitude. C. Can cause ______. X. Rip Currents (Surface Currents) A. Flow from the ______straight outward towards the ______. B. Carries ______out to seas (the water looks a ______color). C. Strongest at the ______of the current. </p>