Table of Contents
- 1 How do surface currents help distribute heat?
- 2 What do surface currents help distribute around the planet?
- 3 How do ocean currents help distribute the sun’s heat?
- 4 Why are surface currents not affected by weather?
- 5 How are wind currents and ocean currents related?
- 6 What are three factors that affect surface ocean currents?
How do surface currents help distribute heat?
Currents help distribute heat around the globe by moving warm and cold water around. The moving water changes the temperature of the air above it.
What do surface currents help distribute around the planet?
Surface currents are extremely important because they distribute heat around the planet and are a major factor influencing climate around the globe.
How do ocean currents distribute heat and nutrients around the globe?
In upwelling currents, vertical water movement and mixing brings cold, nutrient-rich water toward the surface while pushing warmer, less dense water downward, where it condenses and sinks. The global conveyor belt includes both surface and deep ocean currents that circulate the globe in a 1,000-year cycle.
How do ocean currents help distribute the sun’s heat?
WIND CURRENTS Wind and ocean currents help distribute the sun’s heat from one part of the world to another through convection, the transfer of heat in the atmosphere by upward motion of the air. The hot air flows toward the poles, and the cold air moves toward the equator.
Why are surface currents not affected by weather?
Surface Currents. These surface currents do not depend on weather; they remain unchanged even in large storms because they depend on factors that do not change. Surface currents are created by three things: global wind patterns, the rotation of the Earth, and the shape of the ocean basins.
How does wind play a role in redistributing heat?
Wind and ocean currents Winds and ocean currents play a big role in redistributing heat. This figure shows sea surface wind speed, as derived from a NASA’s satellite (Aqua) for the month of November, 2004. The large-scale pattern of surface ocean currents is set up by winds.
This figure has important implications for wind generation and ocean currents because both are driven by temperature differences, and by heat input between the equatorial and polar regions. Winds and ocean currents play a major role in moving the surplus heat from the equatorial regions to the polar regions.
What are three factors that affect surface ocean currents?
Surface currents are created by three things: global wind patterns, the rotation of the Earth, and the shape of the ocean basins. Surface currents are extremely important because they distribute heat around the planet and are a major factor influencing climate around the globe.