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Marine Science Chapter 9 Vocabulary (copy)

Terms

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cold-core
an eddie-induced gyre that rotates counterclockwise and has a cool water center
contour currents
Bottom currents that flow around obstacles and that are influenced by bottom topography.
countercurrents
Current that runs in the opposite direction as an adjacent current.
downwellings
A downward vertical current that pushes surface water toward the bottom.
drogue
a simple apparatus resembling a holey sock enabling scientists to study surface currents
eddies
Swirling counter currents caused by friction from the flow of a current
Ekman transport
The net motion of the water column down to friction depth, which is 90* to the right in the Northern Hemisphere or 90* to the left in the Southern Hemisphere
Ekman spiral
The spiral of water layers flowing to the right of the layer above due to Ekman transport
El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO)
A more intense El Nino that occurs every few years when the upwelling of cold nutrient rich water does not occur; kills plankton, fish, and effects weather patterns
Eulerian method
The study of currents through the use of fixed instruments that measure water characteristics as it flows by
flotsam method
Studying currents by tracking the highly identifiable items accidentally or naturally adrift in the water
geostrophic currents
Current created by the rotation of the Earth
(Coriolis effect)
gulf stream
A warm ocean current flowing north from the gulf of mexico along the east coast of the U.S. to an area off the south-east coast of Newfoundland.
gyre
The circular flow of currents in an ocean basin due to the Coriolis effect
Lagrangian method
the study of currents by floating devices in the current to follow its path
La Nina
Cold ocean temperatures in the Eastern equatorial Pacific as compared to El Nino which is warm
ocean conveyor belt
The interconnected surface and deep water currents that redistribute heat throughout the world
pressure gradient force
Directed from high to low pressure and this force is called "pressure gradient force"
sea level
The average level of the sea's surface at its mean level between high and low tide
sverdrup
unit of measurement for current flow that equals one million cubic meters per second
thermohaline circulation
Movement of water due to density differences
undercurrent
Current that runs in the opposite direction and beneath a surface current
upwelling
An upward vertical current that brings deeper water to the surface
warm-core
an eddie-induced gyre that rotates clockwise and has a warm water center
western intensification
The flow of major ocean currents against western ocean western ocean basin boundaries caused by the Coriolis effect
Argo float
floats used to study currents that transmit data to satellites; drifts at depths typically ranging from 1,500 to 2,000 meters (5,000 to 6,500 feet)
Doppler Acoustic Current Meter
a most sophisticated device for studying current direction and speed; simple and very accurate

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