Question

The horizontal movement of ocean water from one region to another is called :

• A. Tides
• B. Waves
• C. Ocean Currents
• D. Ripples

Answer 1

Answer:

C. Ocean Currents

Ocean Currents

• Ocean currents are like vast "rivers" flowing through the ocean.

• They represent the continuous, directed, and horizontal movement of seawater.

• These currents are primarily driven by several factors, including breaking waves, wind, the Coriolis effect, and differences in water density (temperature and salinity).

Key Factors of Ocean Currents

1. Surface Currents: These make up about 10% of all ocean water and are driven mainly by wind.

2. Deep-Water Currents: These make up the other 90% and are driven by Thermohaline Circulation (differences in heat and saltiness).

3. Coriolis Effect: Because the Earth rotates, currents in the Northern Hemisphere deflect to the right (clockwise), and those in the Southern Hemisphere deflect to the left (counter-clockwise).

• Tides: These are the rise and fall of sea levels, which is primarily a vertical movement.

• Waves: While they look like they are moving water horizontally, the water molecules in a wave actually move in small circles. It is the energy that moves forward, not the water itself.

• Ripples: These are just the smallest type of waves, usually only a few centimeters high.