MSCI 210 Final: Final Exam Review
Document Summary
Currents (thermohaline: equator gets more heat than the poles, sets up convection pattern of circulation. Because the earth is turning, this creates 6 rotating cells. To the right in n hemisphere, to the left in s hemisphere. Effects anything moving on the surface: ocean currents occur via two types. Causes surface waters to move at about 45 deg. To the right, but the current transport as a whole tends to be in the same direction as the winds. Due to geostrophic balance: boundary currents. Critical for helping us understand global climate and ocean biology. The slow, large-scale circulation of deep water masses driven by changes in seawater density. Colder, saltier water in the arctic sinks to the bottom, while the less dense water becomes ice and sits on top. 1) deep-water formation and sinking in the north atlantic, and. 2) the subsequent flow of warmer waters to the region to replace the cold (cid:449)aters that sa(cid:374)k .
