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Currents, Upwelling & El Nino

The document discusses ocean currents, upwelling, and El Niño. It describes how surface currents are driven by winds and circulate water from the tropics to poles, while deep currents are caused by density differences from temperature and salinity changes. Upwelling occurs when wind blows surface water away and brings nutrient-rich deep water up. El Niño happens every 2-7 years when warm water moves east, changing weather patterns and disrupting ecosystems that rely on regular upwelling for nutrients.

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23 views

Currents, Upwelling & El Nino

The document discusses ocean currents, upwelling, and El Niño. It describes how surface currents are driven by winds and circulate water from the tropics to poles, while deep currents are caused by density differences from temperature and salinity changes. Upwelling occurs when wind blows surface water away and brings nutrient-rich deep water up. El Niño happens every 2-7 years when warm water moves east, changing weather patterns and disrupting ecosystems that rely on regular upwelling for nutrients.

Uploaded by

api-26334461
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Currents,

Upwelling
&
El Nino

1
Current
 A large stream of moving water that flows through the
ocean
 Currents carry warm water from the tropics towards
the poles and bring cold water back to the equator
 Two types
 Surface currents
 Deep currents

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Surface Currents
 Driven by the major prevailing winds of the world
 Most move East to West in circular patterns
 Warm currents warm the air above it while cold
currents cool the air above it
 Occur in water from the surface to a depth of several
hundred meters

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Deep Currents
 Caused by differences in the density of water
 Density depends on temperature and salinity

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Density of Deep
Currents
1. Warm water cools as it moves towards the poles

2. Ice forms leaving the remaining water more salty

3. Temperature decreases and salinity increases

4. Cold dense water flows along the ocean floor to the


equator as Deep Currents

5. Moves slowly, can take up to 1,000 years to make one


complete cycle

6
Upwelling
 The upward movement of cold water from the ocean
depths

1. Wind blows from land to ocean carrying away warm


surface water

2. Cold water from deep in the ocean carrying nutrients


and gases rise to take the place of the warm water

3. Nutrients provide food for the fish

4. Upwelling zones are homes to enormous schools of fish

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El Nino
 Begins when an unusual pattern of winds form over the
western Pacific
 This causes a vast sheet of warm water to move
eastward toward the South American coast
 Occurs every 2 to 7 years and lasts 1 to 2 years until
the usual winds and currents return

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Causes of El Nino
1. Prevents upwelling

2. No nutrients/food for fish

3. Ruins fishing season for fishermen

4. Seabirds starve

5. Unusually warm winters in the NE United States

6. Unusual heavy rains, flooding, mudslides, deadly


tornados and drought

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