The Atmosphere and the Oceans

Eric AngatTeacher

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1. What is the ocean east of United States of America?__________________________________2. What is the ocean west of United States of America?__________________________________3. What is the body of water south of United States of America?__________________________________

Atlantic Ocean

Pacific Ocean

Gulf of Mexico

4. What is the direction of the ocean current (clockwise or counter clockwise) in the North Atlantic Gyre?_________________________________________

5. What is the direction of the ocean current (clockwise or counter clockwise) in the South Atlantic Gyre?_________________________________________

6. What is the direction of the ocean current (clockwise or counter clockwise) in the North Pacific Gyre?_________________________________________7. What is the direction of the ocean current (clockwise or counter clockwise) in the South Pacific Gyre?______________________________________________

Clockwise

Counterclockwise

Clockwise

Counterclockwise

8. What causes wind?

9. How does wind move?

10. What causes ocean waves?

11. What causes upwelling?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzSqhrn2dDM

What causes wind?

Warm air rises

Cold air sinks

Convection

High pressure ( cold air)

Low pressure ( warm air)

Wind causes waves to form.

Uneven heating of the earth’s surface causes wind. Wind moves from high pressure to low pressure.

Wind blowing along the coastline results to upwelling.

evaporation.

8. What causes wind?

9. How does wind move?

10. What causes ocean waves?

11. What causes upwelling?

Uneven heating of the earth’s surface causes wind

Wind moves from high pressure to low pressure.

Wind causes waves to form.

Wind blowing along the coastline results to upwelling.

Winds blowing across the ocean surface push water away. Water then rises up from beneath the surface to replace the water that was pushed away. This process is known as “upwelling.”

Wind blows on the water away.

Cold and nutrient rich water rises to replace the water.

Fish and aquatic organisms feed on upwelled planktons and nutrients.

12. How do we benefit from upwelling?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Al8WrXkLuL4

Importance of Upwelling

More nutrients and planktons. High pressure

Different kind of fish and mammals gather to feed.

Fisherman get their catch.

Water that rises to the surface as a result of upwelling is typically colder and is rich in nutrients. These nutrients “fertilize” surface waters, meaning that these surface waters often have high biological productivity. Therefore, good fishing grounds typically are found where upwelling is common.

The atmosphere affects the oceans and is in turn influenced by them. The action of winds blowing over the ocean surface creates waves and the great current systems of the oceans. When winds are strong enough to produce spray and whitecaps, tiny droplets of ocean water are thrown up into the atmosphere where some evaporate, leaving microscopic grains of salt buoyed by the turbulence of the air. These tiny particles may become nuclei for the condensation of water vapor to form fogs and clouds.