Air currents are caused by
the sun’s uneven heating of the Earth
. … As the Earth’s surface is heated, it warms the air just above it. The warmed air expands and becomes lighter than the surrounding air. It rises, creating a warm air current.
What causes currents in the atmosphere quizlet?
The uneven heating and density of the water
causes currents. … Convection is the movement of energy through water. It takes place because the sun unevenly heats the Earth’s surface, which cause different temperature and therefore high and low pressure zones.
What are the causes of currents?
- The rise and fall of the tides. Tides create a current in the oceans, which are strongest near the shore, and in bays and estuaries along the coast. …
- Wind. Winds drive currents that are at or near the ocean’s surface. …
- Thermohaline circulation.
What causes currents in the oceans and atmosphere?
Ocean currents can be caused by
wind, density differences in water masses caused by temperature and salinity variations, gravity, and events such as earthquakes or storms
. … These currents move water masses through the deep ocean—taking nutrients, oxygen, and heat with them.
What are the 5 causes of currents?
They include the
wind, temperature, breaking waves and at tides, and sometimes underground forces like earthquakes
. Ocean currents are the movements of ocean water due to gravity, the rotating earth (Coriolis effect), water density, the sun, and wind.
What are the 3 major ocean currents?
The produce large circular currents in all the ocean basins. Currents,
The North Equatorial Current, the Gulf Stream, the North Atlantic Current, and the Canary Current
.
What are 5 factors that affect current flow?
There are four factors affecting the origin and flow of Ocean Currents i.e. Rotation and gravitational force of the Earth; Oceanic factors
(temperature, salinity, density, pressure gradient and melting of ice); atmospheric factors
(atmospheric pressure, winds, rainfall, evaporation and insolation); factors that …
What is the relationship between the movement of the atmosphere and surface currents?
Waves and surface currents are
wind-generated
. The atmosphere pushes the ocean surface along. But as the ocean moves, heat is redistributed and eventually tossed back into the atmosphere. The exchange of heat influences the pressure field in the atmosphere, which modifies the wind field.
How do surface currents affect climate?
Currents affect climate by
moving cold and warm water around the globe
. … A surface current warms or cools the air above it, influencing the climate of the land near the coast.
What are the two main categories of ocean currents?
Currents. There are two main types of ocean currents:
currents driven mainly by wind and currents mainly driven by density differences
. Density depends on temperature and salinity of the water.
What are the 5 major ocean currents?
Ocean gyres are large system of circular ocean currents formed by global wind patterns and forces created by Earth’s rotation. The five major circulation patterns formed by the currents on this map are the world’s five major ocean gyres:
North Atlantic, South Atlantic, Indian, North Pacific, and South Pacific
.
What are effects of ocean currents?
The effects of ocean currents are:
Affect Temperatures
: Currents influence the climatic conditions of the regions in which they flow. The warm Equatorial currents raise the temperature of the region in which they flow. Similarly, the cold currents lower the temperature of the places where they flow.
How fast do ocean currents move?
Horizontal movements are called currents, which range in magnitude from a few centimetres per second to as much as 4 metres (about 13 feet) per second. A characteristic surface speed is
about 5 to 50 cm (about 2 to 20 inches) per second
.
What is responsible for deepwater currents?
Deep ocean currents (also known as Thermohaline Circulation) are caused by: …
The sinking and transport of large masses of cool water gives rise to
the thermohaline circulation, which is driven by density gradients due to variations in temperature and salinity. The earth’s rotation also influences deep ocean currents.
What are the types of currents?
There are two types of currents,
surface currents and deep water currents
, that dictate how and where water will move.
What is largest ocean current?
Notorious among sailors for its strength and the rough seas it creates,
the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC)
is the largest wind-driven current on Earth and the only ocean current to travel all the way around the planet.
