Nt1310 Unit 1 Assignment

Option 1 Ocean waves are caused by many different factors. Usually waves are created by the wind; the wind transfers its energy to the water, through friction between the air molecules and the water molecules. The stronger the winds, the stronger the waves. Water waves usually do not go horizontally, they only move up and down. Some factors that also cause waves are tsunamis, earthquakes, and hurricanes. Surprisingly, wind speeds, the distance over which the winds blow, and the time that the winds are in contact with the water all determine the height and speed of the wave. Waves can travel thousands of miles from their source of “origin”. But it’s not the water moving, it’s the energy. As a wave approaches shore, friction between the bottom of the wave and the
All currents in the northern hemisphere move in a clockwise direction, while in the southern hemisphere they move in an anti-clockwise direction. Suprisngly landmasses can be responsible for changing the course of a current. Differences in temperature and salinity are also responsible for the movement of ocean water. In the equatorial region, ocean water gets more heated than in the cold polar regions. This makes the water “light”. Water in the polar regions is cold and heavy, so it sinks and flows towards the equator. The light upper layers of water are thus forced to move towards the poles where they get cooled. Some effects are winds blowing. Winds blowing over a warm current can become warm, and at the same time, pick up moisture, as warm winds are able to retain more moisture. Therefore, the wind that reaches the land brings down the temperature and can cause heavy rain. The western coast of Europe for example, is one. Winds blow cold and dry air. They help to bring down the temperatures in places, which would have been much hotter. The California current which is cold, which flows along the western coast of the U.S, makes the region much cooler than other places in the west coast on