Chapter 24 – The Moving Ocean Vocabulary
Read each definition, rewrite the definition IN YOUR OWN WORDS, and then draw a picture to
illustrate the definition.
Apogee: The point farthest from Earth in the moon’s orbit.
Cold-core ring: An offshoot stream from an ocean current that forms a ring with a core of cold
water.
Countercurrent: A surface ocean current that flows in the opposite direction of the wind related
current.
Density current: A subsurface current that is heavier or more dense than the surrounding
water.
Ocean current: A continuous flow of water along a broad path in the ocean.
Perigee: The point closest to Earth in the moon’s orbit.
Surface current: An ocean current that generally flows in the upper 1000 meters of the ocean
and is primarily driven by the wind.
Tides: The periodic rise and fall of the ocean surface due to the gravitational pulls of the moon
and sun.
Upwelling: The vertical movement of cold, deep, ocean water toward the surface.
Warm-core ring: An offshoot stream from an ocean current that forms a ring with a core of
warm water.