Ocean Currents

What happened to the cargo ship in 1992?

• It won a race

• It got caught in a storm and lost its cargo

• It carried bath toys across the North Pacific

• It discovered new land

What have researchers used the paths of the rubber ducks for?

• To measure the depth of the ocean

• To find lost treasure

• To track the migration of sea animals

• To chart a better understanding of ocean currents

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-6

What drives ocean currents?

• Ships and submarines

• The wind, tides, changes in water density, and the rotation of the Earth

• The moon's gravitational pull alone

• Fish and marine animals

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-6

How much of the ocean's water do surface currents control?

• 100 percent

• The top 10 percent

• 50 percent

• The bottom 10 percent

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-6

What is the major force behind surface currents in the open ocean?

• The moon

• Underwater volcanoes

• Wind

• The rotation of the Earth

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-6

What patterns do surface currents form around the earth?

• Straight lines

• Random patterns

• Big loops called gyres

• Spirals

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-6

What effect causes the wind patterns that give rise to ocean currents?

• The Greenhouse Effect

• The Butterfly Effect

• The Bermuda Triangle effect

• The Coriolis Effect

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-6

NGSS.MS-ESS2-5

What primarily drives deep ocean currents?

• The movement of marine animals

• Changes in the density of seawater

• Underwater earthquakes

• Boats and submarines

What is the Global Conveyor Belt?

• A shipping route

• A winding loop formed by thermohaline circulation and wind-driven surface currents

• A type of sushi restaurant

• A man-made underwater moving belt

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-6

What could happen if the global conveyor belt continues to slow down?

• It will make the ocean cleaner

• It will improve global weather systems

• It will speed up the Earth's rotation

• It could cause havoc with weather systems

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS2-4

NGSS.HS-ESS3-1

NGSS.HS-ESS3-5