1. Turn in your climate analysis worksheet
to the basket, if you didn’t turn it in last
week.
2. List 7 factors that influence local
climate.
3. What are the gyres?
Time’s Up!
• What evidence do you find that wind
influences the direction of the surface
currents in the ocean?
• What pattern can you see in the direction of
the global winds?
• Notice the location and flow of warm and cold
ocean currents. Why do you suppose that
currents flowing toward the equator are
generally cool while currents flowing away from
the equator are warm?
Surface Currents and Climate
• Marlin and Dory are tropical fish. How could
they possibly be expected to survive as far
south as Sydney?
• Would you want a wet suit if swimming off the
coast of Namibia or Angola? Explain.
• Hurricanes have been known to strike
North America as far north as Maine and
Nova Scotia. How is that possible?
• If Earth spun the opposite way, what
changes would you expect to see in
California’s weather?
Research
• Can climate be predicted using ocean surface
currents and latitude?
• Each group will be assigned a costal city.
• Use latitude as well as ocean surface currents
to explain the climate of your city.
• Report your results on the class padlet (link on
bell-science.com)
The 5 Gyres
• What is upwelling? What causes it?
Upwelling (0:50)
Upwelling
• Rise of cool nutrient rich water
• Drives costal ecosystem
Water Density Investigation
Thermohaline Circulation
• Deep ocean currents
• Ocean’s “conveyor belt”
• Driven by changes in temperature and salinity
Thermohaline Circulation
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_8mw1HYFg
• What would happen to the thermohaline
current if all of the arctic ice melted back into
the ocean?