Table of Contents
What is upwelling caused by?
Upwelling is a process in which currents bring deep, cold water to the surface of the ocean. Upwelling is a result of winds and the rotation of the Earth. The Earth rotates on its axis from west to east. Because of this rotation, winds tend to veer right in the northern hemisphere and left in the southern hemisphere.
Do tides cause upwelling?
Upwelling is occurs when deep water rises to the ocean’s surface. Tides are caused mainly by the pull of the moon’s gravity on Earth and its oceans. Deep currents occur deep in the ocean and are mainly caused by differences in water temperature.
How does wind cause upwelling?
Winds blowing across the ocean surface often push water away from an area. When this occurs, water rises up from beneath the surface to replace the diverging surface water. This process is known as upwelling.
What wind direction causes upwelling?
west
Upwelling occurs along west coasts in the Northern Hemisphere when the wind direction is from the north because the net transport of near-surface water is away from shore. Winds from the south cause upwelling along east coasts in the Northern Hemisphere.
What are tides name one factor that causes tides?
Gravity is one major force that creates tides. In 1687, Sir Isaac Newton explained that ocean tides result from the gravitational attraction of the sun and moon on the oceans of the earth (Sumich, J.L., 1996).
When the wind blows southward along the California coast which way does Ekman transport make the surface water move?
Ekman transport moves the surface layer 90o to the right of the wind, meaning the net Ekman transport is in an offshore direction. The water displaced near the coast is replaced by cold, nutrient-rich deeper water that is brought to the surface through upwelling, leading to high productivity (Figure 9.5.
Where does wind driven upwelling occur?
west coasts
Upwelling is a phenomenon that brings cold, nutrient-rich deep water to the surface. In the Northern Hemisphere, upwelling occurs on west coasts when winds are blowing north to south. Ekman transport and the Coriolis Effect make the coastal waters move, on average, 90 degrees to the wind.