Ocean Circulation's Reading Comprehension

What is your name? First and last.

Class Period

• 1st
• 2nd
• 3rd
• 4th
• 5th

Which of these lines from the text supports the idea that there is a single ocean, broken into geographic regions?

• "The cold current off the west coast of the United States is called the California Current."
• "Driven by the wind and ocean currents, these toys [continued] to wash ashore during the next several years, and some even drifted into the Atlantic Ocean."
• "Also called the thermohaline circulation, it is driven by differences in the density of the sea water, which is controlled by temperature (thermal) and salinity (haline)."
• "It is estimated that once the water sinks in the North Atlantic Ocean, [it would take] 1,000-1,200 years before that deep, salty bottom water rises back to the upper levels of the ocean again."

Along the west coasts of continents the water flows toward ...

• the equator.
• the poles.
• the bottom of the ocean.
• the top of the ocean.

Which sentence from the article supports the claim that ocean circulation is due to differences density?

• "The overall climate of Norway and the British Isle is about 18°F (10°C) warmer in the winter than other [sites] located at the same latitude due to the Gulf Stream."
• "However, water samples taken around the world indicate that most of the upwelling takes place in the North Pacific Ocean."
• "Also called the thermohaline circulation, it is driven by differences in the density of the sea water, which is controlled by temperature (thermal) and salinity (haline)."
• "Driven by the wind and ocean currents, these toys [continued] to wash ashore during the next several years, and some even drifted into the Atlantic Ocean."

The cold currents bring water from the polar regions to the

• continental regions.
• oceanic regions.
• temperate regions.
• tropical regions.

An example of a warm current is The Gulf Stream.

• True
• False

What type of currents exist on the east side of continents?

• Cold currents
• Warm currents

The Gulf Stream is the reason the British Isles and Norway are 10 degrees C colder than other places at the same latitude.

• True
• False

What happens to sea water when sea ice forms?

• It gets saltier.
• It becomes fresh water.
• It changes color.
• It gets colder.