THE MOVEMENT OF WATER
6.9B VERIFY THROUGH INVESTIGATIONS THAT THERMAL ENERGY MOVES IN A PREDICTABLE PATTERN FROM WARMER TO
COOLER
6.5B RECOGNIZE THAT A LIMITED NUMBER OF ELEMENTS COMPRISE THE LARGEST PORTION OF OCEANS AND ATMOSPHERE
8.10A RECOGNIZE THAT THE SUN PROVIDES THE ENERGY THAT DRIVES CONVECTION WITHIN THE ATMOSPHERE AND OCEANS,
PRODUCING WINDS AND OCEAN CURRENTS
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU ADD
HEAT TO WATER?
• THE WATER RETAINS THE HEAT, IT HEATS UP
• AS IT HEATS UP, ITS DENSITY CHANGES
• IT CAN CHANGE PHASES (FROM A LIQUID TO A GAS)
HOW DOES HEAT MOVE IN WATER?
HEAT MOVES IN FLUIDS THROUGH
SEVERAL PROCESSES, INCLUDING
CONVECTION.
CONVECTION IS THE TRANSFER OF
HEAT BY THE ACTUAL MOVEMENT
OF THE HEATED MATERIAL.
MATERIALS ARE EITHER FLUIDS OR
GASES.
LET’S CONSIDER WHAT HAPPENS TO
THE WATER IN A BEAKER AS IT IS
HEATED BY THE BUNSEN BURNER…
THE WATER AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POT
HEATS UP FIRST. THIS CAUSES IT TO
EXPAND. SINCE THE WARMED WATER HAS A
LOWER DENSITY THAN THE WATER AROUND
IT, IT RISES UP THROUGH THE COOLER,
DENSE WATER.
AT THE TOP OF THE POT, THE WATER COOLS,
INCREASING ITS DENSITY, WHICH CAUSES IT
TO SINK BACK DOWN TO THE BOTTOM. THIS
UP AND DOWN MOVEMENT EVENTUALLY
HEATS ALL OF THE WATER. THE CONTINUAL
CYCLING OF THE FLUID IS CALLED A
CONVECTION CURRENT.
OUTLINE NOTES
THE OCEAN
WHAT MAKES UP THE OCEAN?
COMPOSITION OF THE OCEAN:
• HYDROGEN
• OXYGEN
• SODIUM
• CHLORINE
• CARBON
• WHICH TWO DO YOU THINK ARE THE MOST PLENTIFUL?
 OCEANS INFLUENCE WEATHER SYSTEMS (LOCAL AND SHORT TERM)
AND CLIMATE (REGIONAL AND LONG TERM)
 THE TEMPERATURE OF THE WATER AFFECTS THE TEMPERATURE OF
THE AIR ABOVE IT - AIR MOVES AROUND HEATING UP OR
COOLING OFF THE LAND NEARBY
 WATER TAKES LONGER TO HEAT UP AND COOL OFF THAN LAND
 LAND TEMPERATURES NEAR THE SEA TENDS TO BE MILDER, NOT
GETTING AS HOT OR COLD AS INLAND CLIMATES
 OCEANS HAVE A STABILIZING AFFECT ON EARTH’S ATMOSPHERIC
TEMPERATURES
CLIMATE
 THERE IS A CONSTANT FLOW OF WATER AND
AIR AROUND THE EARTH THAT DISTRIBUTES HEAT.
 WITHOUT THIS HEAT DISTRIBUTION, THE
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN POLAR CLIMATES AND
EQUATORIAL CLIMATES WOULD BE MUCH MORE
EXTREME.
EVIDENCE OF OCEAN’S ROLE
• OCEAN CURRENTS DISTRIBUTE HEAT AND COLD AROUND THE EARTH,
THUS MAKING CLIMATES LESS EXTREME AT THE POLES AND EQUATOR.
TYPES OF OCEAN CURRENTS
• THERE ARE TWO KINDS OF OCEAN CURRENTS THAT
DISTRIBUTE THIS HEAT
1) DEEP OCEAN CURRENTS THAT ARE DRIVEN BY
CONVECTION IN THE OCEAN  ICE MELTING FROM
ANTARCTICA, EQUATORIAL HEATING
 2) SURFACE CURRENTS WHICH ARE DRIVEN BY
PREVAILING WINDS/CONVECTION IN THE
ATMOSPHERE
A. OCEAN CURRENTS
SURFACE
OCEAN
CURRENTS ARE
CAUSED BY THE
SURFACE WIND
PATTERNS.
UNEVEN HEATING FROM
THE SUN
WARM CURRENTS FLOW
AWAY FROM THE
EQUATOR
COLD CURRENTS FLOW
TOWARD THE EQUATOR
FROM THE POLES
2.VARIATIONS IN
TEMPERATURE
CAUSED BY -
B. WARM OCEAN CURRENTS
WARM OCEAN CURRENTS MOVE
INTO AN AREA EVAPORATION INCREASES,
MOVING MOISTURE AND ENERGY
TO THE ATMOSPHERE
INCREASES THE TEMPERATURE AND
HUMIDITY IN THE AREA
C. COLD OCEAN CURRENTS
COLD OCEAN CURRENTS
MOVE INTO AN AREA LOWER SURFACE AIR
TEMPERATURES, REDUCES
EVAPORATION RATES
LEADS TO COLDER, DRIER
CONDITIONS IN THE AREA
III. WATER AND DENSITY
LIGHTER (LESS DENSE), WARM WATER
RISES WHILE HEAVIER (MORE DENSE) COOL
WATER SINKS.
THIS MOVEMENT CREATES CIRCULATION
PATTERNS (CONVECTION CURRENTS)
A. CONVECTION CURRENTS
THE SECOND THING THAT HAPPENS
BECAUSE OF THESE CONVECTION
CURRENTS IS THAT THE WARMER WATER
MOVES ABOVE THE COOLER WATER, AND
GIVES OFF ITS HEAT TO THE
SURROUNDING ENVIRONMENT
B. TEMPERATURES OF COASTAL AREAS:
COMPARE COASTAL TO INLAND CITIES, ON THE LEFT IS JANUARY AND
ON THE RIGHT IS JUNE –
THIS PROCESS OF OCEAN MEDIATION IS WHAT MODERATES THE OCEAN
COASTAL AREAS AND MAKES THEIR TEMPERATURES LESS EXTREME THAN
THOSE PLACES INLAND
Convection
results in the
continual
circulation of
ocean water on
a global scale
DEEP OCEAN CURRENTS ARE CAUSED BY DIFFERENCES
IN TEMPERATURE AND SALINITY (SALTINESS)
THESE CURRENTS HELP MAINTAIN EARTH’S BALANCE
THESE CURRENTS ARE CALLED CONVEYOR BELTS
Ocean
Circulation
THE OCEAN’S CONVEYOR BELT (DEEP OCEAN CURRENTS)
• NOTICE THE SALINITY (SALT
LEVELS) AND THE
TEMPERATURE OF THE WATER
• WARMER WATER = LESS
SALINITY AND LESS DENSE
• SO…COLDER WATER IS?
• FINDING NEMO?
THE GLOBAL CONVEYOR BELT
Temperature
changes!
As the water gets heated and cooled, it also travels. This
is why different oceans are different temperatures! The
temperature changes are brought to the land – this helps
to moderate temperatures (coastal areas).
THE BELT MOVES MUCH
MORE SLOWLY THAN
SURFACE CURRENTS
SCIENTISTS ESTIMATE THAT
IT TAKES ONE SECTION OF
THE BELT 1,000 YEARS TO
COMPLETE ONE FULL
CIRCUIT OF THE GLOBE
HELPS REGULATE TEMPERATURE
TRANSPORTS WATER AROUND THE GLOBE
ALLOWS FOR NUTRIENT RECYCLING
NUTRIENTS AND CARBON DIOXIDE FROM THE BOTTOM LAYERS OF THE
OCEAN ARE DISTRIBUTED THROUGH THE UPPER LAYERS ENABLING THE
GROWTH OF ALGAE AND SEAWEED THAT ULTIMATELY SUPPORT ALL
FORMS OF LIFE
Conveyor Belt
NOTES ARE COMPLETE!
VIDEOS
• GULF STREAM AND OCEAN CURRENTS (5 MIN)
• OCEAN’S ROLE AND CLIMATE (6 MIN) – LEAD IN FOR
THE NEXT CLASS