The Dynamic Ocean



















Currents: Ocean current is the mass of ocean water that _______________ from on place to another.
_______________ currents are movements of water that flow _______________ horizontally in the
upper part of the ocean’s surface. Surface currents develop from ______________ between the ocean
and the wind that blows across its surface.
Gyres: Gyres are huge circular-moving ___________ systems that dominate the surfaces of the oceans.
There are 5 major gyres
•
•
•
•
•
What do you notice about the currents in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres?
_____________________________Because the Earth’s rotation currents are ________ to the right in
the ____________ Hemisphere and to the _______________ in the Southern.
Coriolis Effect The deflection of ________________ away from their ___________________ course
as a result of Earth’s rotation.
When currents from low-latitude regions move into _________________ latitudes, they transfer heat
from warmer to ________________ areas on Earth. As cold water currents travel toward the
_____________, they help moderate the warm temperatures of adjacent land areas.
Most ocean waves obtain their ________________ and motion from the ____________________
Wave characteristic
•
•
•
•
How big a wave gets depends on three factors:
•
•
•
Eventually waves will hit a max __________________ based on the previous three factors. This is
known as being fully developed. ______________ caps occur then the excess energy of the wave is
given off.
As the waves move into _____________________ water they slow down.
As the waves slow they begin to “crowd up” so the ______________ will decrease but their height will
_______________. Eventually the waves become too steep and break causing _______________.
Tides are daily changes in the __________ of the ocean surface. Ocean tides result from the _________
attraction exerted upon Earth by the ____________ and, to a lesser, extent, but the _____________.
The two forces that produce tides are ______________ and _________________.
During one day there are 2 ____________ tides and _______________ low tides.
A _______________ is the accumulation of sediment found long the shore of a lake or ocean. Waves
along the ___________ are constantly eroding, ______________, and _________________ sediment.
Longshore Transport: A longshore current is a _____________-shore current that flows ____________
to the shore. It is the primary method of ________________ transport along the beach. The key to
notice is that waves do not hit the shore straight on, they come at an ____________________.
Features caused by longshore drift: a ______________ is an elongated ridge of sand that projects from
the land into the mouth of an adjacent bay. A _______________ bar is a sandbar that completely
crosses a bay. A ______________ is a ridge of sand that connects an island to the mainland or to
another island.
Barrier Islands are long, narrow, offshore ______________ of sand or _______________ that parallel
the coast line.
_______________, breakwaters, and ________________ are some structures built to protect a coast
from erosion or to prevent the movement of sand along a beach.
Beach nourishment is the additions of __________________ quantities of __________________ to the
beach system.