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Where is the deepest point in the Atlantic Ocean? What is the depth there?
Find the North Sea. In comparison how does the depth of this shelf sea compare with the average
of the ocean?
Does the distribution of SST remain, on average, the same throughout the year?
Give a reason why the most saline water is NOT found at the Equator despite typically higher
evaporation rates in this region.
Over the year, a distinct plume of low salinity can be seen from the north coast of the South
American continent. What do you think is the cause?
Hint: What do you think the effect of river run-off has on the oceans?
Move the time slider to the 28th December 2013. Over the UK, a region of low pressure is depicted
by the isobars. Can you explain the resulting wind direction?
What effect do you think this may have on the European weather?
Have a look at the wind patterns over the Southern Atlantic Ocean. What would you expect the
rotation sense of the South Atlantic Gyre to be?
Gulf Stream
Load Gulf_Stream_030106-080825; range[0 to 1] m/s from Gulf_Stream_030106-080825.kmz or
the separate Ocean_Systems_MOOC.kmz file. In this overlay, the Gulf Stream current is presented
with velocities ranging from 0 m/s (dark blue) to > 1 m/s (dark red).
Eddies or rings are shown to be shed from the main current. What is the typical size and duration
of these features?
Hint: One degree of latitude is approximately 110 km.
In the Northern Hemisphere, cold-core eddies i.e., eddies characterised with a lower temperature
in the centre have a counter-clockwise sense of rotation. Conversely, warm-core eddies, with a
warmer centre, have a clockwise sense of rotation. Identify the eddies shed from the north and
from the south of the main current.
The Gulf Stream can be considered to be barrier between the warm water towards the south and
the cold water in the north (review the SST overlay). What role do you think these eddies play in
transporting heat?
What effect do these eddies have for ecology and biological productivity?
Hint: Cold water, typically upwelled from depth, are typically nutrient rich.