Tides and Ocean Currents — Flashcards

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Hydrosphere refers to the mass of water occupying the greatest part of the Earth's surface. It includes oceans, rivers, lakes, underground water, and atmospheric water.

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Oceans cover about 71% of the Earth's surface. This is why Earth is often called the watery planet.

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Land and water are not evenly distributed. In the Northern Hemisphere, land and water are nearly equal, while in the Southern Hemisphere there is nearly fifteen times as much water as land.

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An ocean current is the general movement of a mass of ocean water in a definite direction, similar to a river flowing on land. Currents help transfer heat from lower latitudes to higher latitudes.

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Ocean currents form because of differences in temperature, salinity, wind action, Earth’s rotation, and the shape of coastlines. These factors set ocean water in motion in definite directions.

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Ocean currents help maintain the Earth's heat balance by transferring heat from lower latitudes to higher latitudes. They account for about one quarter of the total heat transport in the oceans, while…

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Coriolis force is the deflective force caused by Earth’s rotation from west to east. It deflects winds and ocean currents to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisp…

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A gyre is the flow around the periphery of an ocean basin. It is a large circular movement of ocean currents.