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GG140: The Atmosphere, The Ocean, and Environmental Change

Lecture 22 - Ocean Currents and Productivity. Ocean currents are generally divided into two categories: thermohaline currents and wind driven currents. Both types of currents are forced remotely rather than locally. Wind driven currents are initially forced by the wind stress causing water to pile up in certain locations. This produces a pressure gradient, which is then balanced by the Coriolis force and geostrophic currents develop. The gyre circulations found in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans are wind driven currents. There is a connection between the physics of these currents and the biological productivity in the ocean. For example, productivity is greatest in areas of equatorial and coastal upwelling as nutrient rich deep water is brought to the sunlit surface. (from oyc.yale.edu)

Lecture 22 - Ocean Currents and Productivity

Time Lecture Chapters
[00:00:00] 1. Ocean Currents
[00:07:37] 2. Wind Driven Currents
[00:15:43] 3. Transport of Water in Ocean Currents
[00:18:49] 4. Atlantic Ocean Circulation
[00:28:06] 5. Pacific Ocean Circulation
[00:29:13] 6. Southern Ocean Circulation
[00:29:31] 7. Arctic Ocean Circulation
[00:31:45] 8. Primary Productivity in the Ocean

References
Lecture 22 - Ocean Currents and Productivity
Instructor: Professor Ronald B Smith. Resources: Credit List [PDF]. Transcript [html]. Audio [mp3]. Download Video [mov].

Go to the Course Home or watch other lectures:

Lecture 01 - Introduction to Atmospheres
Lecture 02 - Retaining an Atmosphere
Lecture 03 - The Perfect Gas Law
Lecture 04 - Vertical Structure of the Atmosphere; Residence Time
Lecture 05 - Earth Systems Analysis (Tank Experiment)
Lecture 06 - Greenhouse Effect, Habitability
Lecture 07 - Hydrostatic Balance
Lecture 08 - Horizontal Transport
Lecture 09 - Water in the Atmosphere I
Lecture 10 - Water in the Atmosphere II
Lecture 11 - Clouds and Precipitation (Cloud Chamber Experiment)
Lecture 12 - Circulation of the Atmosphere
Lecture 13 - Global Climate and the Coriolis Force
Lecture 14 - Coriolis Force and Storms
Lecture 15 - Convective storms
Lecture 16 - Frontal Cyclones
Lecture 17 - Seasons and Climate
Lecture 18 - Seasons and Climate Classification
Lecture 19 - Ocean Bathymetry and Water Properties
Lecture 20 - Ocean Water Density and Atmospheric Forcing
Lecture 21 - Ocean Currents
Lecture 22 - Ocean Currents and Productivity
Lecture 23 - El Nino
Lecture 24 - Ice in the Climate System
Lecture 25 - Ice and climate change
Lecture 26 - Isotope Evidence for Climate Change
Lecture 27 - Global Warming
Lecture 28 - Global Warming II
Lecture 29 - Global Warming III
Lecture 30 - Climate Sensitivity and Human Population
Lecture 31 - The Two Ozone Problems
Lecture 32 - The Ozone Layer
Lecture 33 - Energy Resources, Renewable Energy
Lecture 34 - Renewable Energy
Lecture 35 - Review and Overview