Question

part ii:
using the table below color the currents in the picture (red = warm, blue = cold).

questions:

1. the ocean currents on your map generally travel in either a clockwise or counterclockwise direction. look at

the ocean currents and compare the general direction followed by currents in the northern hemisphere with the
direction of those in the southern hemisphere.
d. in the northern hemisphere the general direction is ______________.
e. in the southern hemisphere the general direction is ______________.

1. what happens to the direction of an ocean current when it approaches the coast of a large landmass?
2. cold water currents tend to have a cooling affect on the continental coastlines that they border, while warm water

currents tend to have a warming effect. look at the pattern of currents in the northern and southern hemispheres
and describe the effect the currents have on the temperature of the coastal areas they border.
a. the east coasts generally have ________ (warm or cold) water currents.
b. the west coasts generally have ________ (warm or cold) water currents.
c. the east coast climates will generally be ________ (warmer or cooler) than it’s supposed to be.
d. the west coast climates will generally be ________ (warmer or cooler) than it’s supposed to be.

1. look at the pattern of cold and warm water currents. what seems to determine whether a current carries warm or

cold water? explain why this is so.

Explanation:

Question 1d and 1e:

• For the Northern Hemisphere, ocean currents (like the Gulf Stream, Canary Current system) generally move in a clockwise direction due to the Coriolis effect (deflection of moving objects to the right in the Northern Hemisphere).
• In the Southern Hemisphere, currents (e.g., West Wind Drift, Brazil Current system) move counterclockwise as the Coriolis effect deflects objects to the left there.

Question 2:

When an ocean current approaches a large landmass, it is deflected (changes direction) because the landmass acts as a barrier, altering the current’s path (e.g., currents moving along coasts curve due to continental boundaries).

Question 3a - 3d:

• 3a: East coasts (e.g., East Coast of North America with Gulf Stream, East Australia with East Australian Current) have warm water currents.
• 3b: West coasts (e.g., West Coast of North America with California Current, West South America with Peru Current) have cold water currents.
• 3c: Since east coasts have warm currents, their climates are warmer than expected (warm currents transfer heat, raising coastal temperatures).
• 3d: West coasts with cold currents have cooler climates than expected (cold currents bring cooler water, lowering coastal temperatures).

Question 4:

The direction of the current (relative to the equator) and the Coriolis effect, plus continental positions, determine if a current carries warm or cold water. Warm currents generally flow from the equator toward the poles (transporting warm tropical water), while cold currents flow from the poles toward the equator (carrying cold polar water). Also, the interaction with landmasses shapes their paths, but the primary driver of temperature (warm/cold) is their origin (equatorial vs. polar regions) and the Coriolis - induced circulation patterns (gyres) that move them along coasts. For example, in the Northern Hemisphere, gyres rotate clockwise: the western boundary current of a gyre (e.g., Gulf Stream) is warm (from equator), and the eastern boundary current (e.g., Canary Current) is cold (from higher latitudes). In the Southern Hemisphere, counterclockwise gyres have western boundary warm currents (e.g., Brazil Current) and eastern boundary cold currents (e.g., Benguela Current).

Answer:

Question 1:

d. clockwise
e. counterclockwise

Question 2:

The ocean current is deflected (changes direction) when it approaches a large landmass (due to the land acting as a barrier).

Question 3:

a. warm
b. cold
c. warmer
d. cooler

Question 4:

Whether a current carries warm or cold water is determined by its origin (equatorial - warm, polar - cold) and the Coriolis effect (shaping gyre circulation). Warm currents flow from the equator toward poles (transporting heat), cold currents from poles toward equator (transporting cold water). Continental landmasses also deflect currents, but the primary temperature determinant is the current’s source region (tropical vs. polar) and the large - scale gyre circulation driven by Coriolis and wind patterns. For example, gyres in the Northern Hemisphere (clockwise) have warm western boundary currents (from equator) and cold eastern boundary currents (from higher latitudes); in the Southern Hemisphere (counterclockwise), warm western boundary and cold eastern boundary currents follow similar source - based temperature logic.