Science Lesson 26 Currents and Climate – Flashcards
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updwelling
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The movement of deep, cold, and nutrient-rich water to the surface. *Many fish come to feed near an upwelling.
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El Nino
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A change in the surface temperature in the Pacific Ocean that produces a warm current. *The heavy rains were attributed to El Nino.
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La Nina
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A change in the eastern Pacific Ocean in which the surface water temperature becomes unusually cool. *La Nina often leads to drought in the United States.
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Currents and Climate Objectives
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•Explain how currents affect climate •Describe the effects of El Nino •Explain how scientists study and predict the pattern of El Nino
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Surface Currents and Climates •Affects Climates
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A climate would be determined by it's latitude or position north or south from the equator. But since the ocean currents move through it it can change the climate of the land.
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Warm-Water Currents and Climate
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•Warm coastal areas -the warm water comes up from the equator •An example of this is the Gulf stream
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Cold-Water Currents and Climate
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•Cools coastlands -cold water comes from the poles toward the equator and cools the land. •California Currents
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Upwelling
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Happens when the winds bounce off the ocean and takes the warm water out and the cold water in.
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El Nina
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The water temperature drops a couple of degrees.
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El Nino
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The water is warm. •Effects of El Nino -can be extreme. -can cause a lot of rain in normally drier areas -can cause hurricanes, which can cause mudslides, and natural disasters. •Studying and predicting El Nino -only happens every 2-12 years -hard to study and predict *bouys are places in the ocean -attached to the bottom of the ocean and take measurements.
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•Explain how currents affect climate
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Remember a cold-water or a warm-water current can either cool down or warm up the land it hits.
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•Describe the effects of El Nino
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Great disasters can happen because of El Nino because it can change the whole weather pattern associated with the area, causing more or less rainfall to occur. Hurricanes, mudslides, etc...
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•Explain how scientists study and predict the pattern of El Nino
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By putting indicators in the ocean and looking for any sort of change, they can actually determine if El Nino is going to be coming soon.
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online content How do the waters of El Nino compare to the surrounding ocean? (site 1)
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El Nino produces a wind shear over the tropical Atlantic unlike our oceans.
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online content How often does El Nino typically appear? (site 1)
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El Nino appears every 2-12 years, so no one can really predict , for sure, when El Nino is coming. Scientists have come up with something to help predict it.
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online content How does El Nino affect Antarctica? (site 2)
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El Nino makes Antarctica even colder than it already is. In July 1997, El Nino came to Antarctica and caused the coldest July ever with temperatures of -86.8°F
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Many marine organisms depend on upwelling to bring nutrients to the surface. How might El Nino affect a fisherman's way of life?
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El Nino prevents upwelling so the organisms wouldn't be able to get the nutrients they need. It will also bring natural disasters including hurricanes, which could bring bacterias to the water, and the fish would have a good chance of dying and there wouldn't be enough fish, or the fish would be contaminated by bacteria.
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Explain how ocean temperatures affect the climate of coastal cities.
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Because the ocean can retain warmth it keeps the temperature of coastal areas milder than inland areas.
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What causes an upwelling?
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When the wind hits the surface of the ocean it causes the cold, deep water to move up toward the surface.
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El Nino can prevent upwelling along the Pacific Coast. What might happen if normal upwelling does not take place? Make predictions and support them with facts from the chapter.
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If it prevents an upwelling, the nutrients will stay on the bottom floor of the ocean. This harms the shoreline ecosystem.
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When does El Nino occur?
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El Nino occurs every 2-12 years. It occurs when a huge sheet of warm water moves eastward across the Pacific Ocean.
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Why do the cities of the East Coast have warmer climates than cities on the West Coast at similar latitudes?
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The East coast is warmer because it is affected by the warm gulf stream current, while the West coast cities are cooler because they are affects by the cool California Current.
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Why does the fishing industry watch for upwellings eagerly?
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Upwelling brings all of the nutrients to the surface which means that the fish will all be there feeding.
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What are currents?
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A current is a stream or river leading into a large body of water.
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The negative effects of ___________ include flash floods, mudslides, and droughts.
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El Nino
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What are the effects of El Nino?
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El Nino can change the climate of a huge area. It causes natural disasters like hurricanes and mudslides.
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What forms of technology are scientists using to study the El Nino>
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They use buoys and satellites to measure the weather and other stuff like that to see if El Nino is coming
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ocean current that cools the West Coast of the United States
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California Current
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used to collect data to predict an El Nino
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buoys
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a change in the water temperature of the Pacific Ocean that produces a warm current
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El Nino
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A change in the water temperature of the eastern Pacific Ocean that produces cooler than usual surface water temperatures
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La Nina
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What effect did El Nino have on Antarctica? a. Icebergs began to melt b. Coastal flooding c. A huge upwelling fed large new schools of fish d. Colder than normal temperatures
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d. Colder than normal temperatures
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If ocean currents have changed their circulation patterns, you can conclude that a. patterns of wind circulation have also changed. b. the water is colder and denser than usual. c. the rate of evaporation has increased. d. the climate will be milder than usual.
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a. patterns of wind circulation have also changed.
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What happens due to coral reef damage by El Nino? a. The ocean water gets warmer. b. Fish that depend on the reef die. c. The ocean water gets cooler. d. The reef supports more diversity of life.
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b. Fish that depend on the reef die.
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an unusually long period during which rainfall is below average
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drought
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Surface currents greatly affect the climate in many parts of the world. True or False
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True
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How would California be different if there were no California Current? a. Its climate would be cooler. b. There would be less wind and fog. c. Its climate would be drier. d. Its climate would be warmer.
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d. Its climate would be warmer.
