Ocean Currents, Waves, and Tides

By: Citlalli Dominguez, Janet Roa, Patricia & Carissa Eclarin

Ocean Currents – Giant streams of ocean water.

Two major types of ocean

currents

Deep curren

ts

Surface current

s

Where? • Warm ocean water that moves on or near the surface of the ocean.

Causes? • Wind belts, Coriolis Effect, and location of the continents.

Where?• Cold ocean water that moves very slowly beneath the surface of the ocean.

Causes?• Different water densities.

Terms to Know

• Coriolis Effect - Deflection of wind and ocean currents caused by the earth’s rotation.

• Gyres - Huge rotating patterns, formed as a result of wind belts and coriolis effect * Northern Hemisphere gyres flow to the right, or clockwise * Southern Hemisphere gyres flow to the left, or counterclockwise

• Turbidity current - Strong current caused by an underwater landslide.

7 Major Ocean Currents of the World:

 1. West Wind Drift (or the Antarctic Circumpolar

Current)2. East Wind Drift 3. North Equatorial currents4. South Equatorial currents5. Peru Current,6. Kuroshio Current7. Gulf Stream

Ocean Waves

Ocean Waves

What are waves? Constant up and down movement of ocean water .

• Crest – The highest point of a wave.• Trough – The lowest point between two crests. • Wave height – The vertical distance between the crest and the trough.•Wave length – Horizontal distance between two crests.•Wave period – Time it takes for one complete wavelength to pass.

Crest CrestWavelength

Wave height

Trough

How to calculate wave speed?

*Remember this formula! Wave speed = wave length period

Example:If a wave has a wavelength of 216 m and a period of 12 s, what is its speed?

216 m 12 s

18 m/s

Wave energy? The wind. More energy = larger the wave.

Swell – group of long rolling waves that are the same size.

• Wave size? Three factors = speed of the wind, length of time the wind blows, and the fetch.

Fetch – The distance that the wind can blow across open water.

• Water movement in a wave? Moves very little. = Water particles move in circles.

Ocean Tides – the daily changes in the level of the ocean surface.

Low tide

Low tide

High tide

High tide

Cause of Tides?The moon’s gravitational pull on the earthand its waters.

Terms to KnowTidal Current – the flow of the ocean water toward and away

from the coast.

Flood Tide – when the tidal current flows toward the coast.

Ebb Tide – when the tidal currents flow toward the ocean.

Thank You!