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What are ocean currents?
How does a letter in a
bottle thrown into the
ocean in Africa travel
to South America?
Currents which are
streams of water
flowing in the ocean.
Types of Currents…
Currents
Density Currents
(Deep)
Convection
(Vertical)
Surface Currents
(Horizontal)
What is the effect of salinity and
temperature on the density of water?
 Why
does the density of
water increase as its
TEMPERATURE decreases?
 Why does the density of
water increase as the
SALINITY increases?
Density Currents…
 Differences
in density can cause
currents to move up and down
in the ocean depths.
 Differences in temperature and
salinity cause density currents.
 Ocean currents can be warm
(near the Equator) or cold (near
the Poles)
Remember Convection
Warm substances (air, water,
or magma) rise and cooler
substances sink because of
density! This causes
vertical currents.
Surface Currents…
 Wind
causes most horizontal
surface currents.
 Earth’s rotation causes the winds
to curve.
 What is this called?
CORIOLIS EFFECT.