1. Bellwork 1/29
Based on your Google Earth investigation, what do you notice about the circulation of currents in the Northern & Southern hemispheres?
What causes ocean currents?
How do currents affect weather/climate?

2. Bellwork 1/20
Which two techniques did you model to figure out what the bottom of your “ocean” looked like?
What are some strengths and weaknesses of each type of map?

3. Go Over Bathymetry Lab

4. Safety Procedures

5. This is a Weather class… Why do we care about what the bottom of the ocean looks like??
Underwater structures affect the flow of ocean currents
Ocean currents drive air flow and weather patterns!

6. Two Types of Ocean Circulation:
Surface Circulation
-Gyres
Deep Ocean Circulation
-Thermohaline Currents

7. 1. Surface Circulation
Develop from friction between the ocean and the wind
Can be seasonal or permanent

8. Ocean Basin Circulation Patterns:
Gyres
circular moving current systems
Individual currents can be warm or cold
Dominant surface pattern in the oceans
S. Hemisphere = counterclockwise rotation
N. Hemisphere = clockwise rotation

9. Something to note…
Surface currents vary because of wind. So…they won’t always look as “pretty” or defined as they do in a textbook.
From the textbook
From real data

10. Gyres & their currents are pretty predictable & permanent in terms of their direction and temperature (warm or cold)
Why might understanding that be useful to humans?
How could we use gyres/current patterns?
Travel patterns
Animal migrations
Weather/storm predictions
Treating/containing chemical or oil spills

11. Unfortunate Affect of Gyres… “Great Pacific Garbage Patch”

12. Gulf Stream: best known and most studied of the ocean currents
Part of the North Atlantic Gyre
flows northward along the east coast of the United States
carries warm water from the Gulf of Mexico

14. 2. Deep Ocean Circulation
accounts for thorough mixing of deep water masses
formed by differences in salinity & temperature
“thermohaline” currents
Begin forming in high latitudes as cold, salty water sinks

16. We will dive into the “how’s & why’s” of Deep Ocean Circulation next class. Salinity lab

17. Ocean Currents and Climate
Transfers heat from low latitudes to high latitudes (and vice versa)
Keeps most of western Europe warmer than expected for its latitude
Maintains Earth’s heat balance
about ¼ of heat transfer is via oceans

20. Ocean Current Activity
Using GoogleEarth to observe surface currents

21. Join the Google Classroom, Please
Code: 25e9enk

22. Join the Google Classroom, Please
Code: nllzgf