Worksheet

Deep ocean currents: cold, salty water sinks

Grade 9 Science Worksheet - Building Confidence

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

  1. The global conveyor drawn on a world map. What does the word thermohaline refer to, by Ari's reading (NOAA)?

    • Temperature and salinity
    • Tides and the pull of the Moon
    • Depth and pressure
    • Wind and waves

  2. Wind arrows above, density arrows far below. What drives deep-ocean currents, by Bo's reading (NOAA)?

    • Rivers
    • Strong surface winds blowing steadily across the open ocean
    • Tides
    • Differences in density from temperature and salinity

  3. Which water is densest and sinks, by Jun's reading (NOAA)?

    • Cold, salty water
    • Warm, salty water
    • Cold, fresh rainwater
    • Warm, fresh water

  4. Read this first

    Use this

    Sea ice forming above saltier, sinking water.

  5. When sea ice forms, what happens to the salt, by Luz's reading (NOAA)?

    • It freezes into the ice
    • It is left behind, making nearby water saltier
    • It turns into fresh water
    • It rises into the air

  6. Why does water near forming sea ice sink, by Milo's reading (NOAA)?

    • It gets colder and saltier, so its density rises
    • It gets fresher and lighter
    • It warms up and expands
    • The wind pushes it down

  7. Use this

    The global conveyor drawn on a world map.

  8. Where does the global conveyor belt start, by Noah's reading (NOAA)?

    • Near the pole in the North Atlantic
    • In the middle of the Indian Ocean
    • At the mouth of a river
    • At the equator in the Pacific

  9. Where is the conveyor recharged with more cold, dense water, by Pia's reading (NOAA)?

    • In the warm Indian Ocean
    • Off a tropical island
    • Around Antarctica
    • At the equator

  10. About how long does a cubic meter of water take to complete the conveyor, by Ren's reading (NOAA)?

    • About 1 year
    • About 1,000 years
    • About 10 days
    • About 1 million years

  11. A deep current moves 2 cm a second (example data). How far does it go in 1 hour, by Zee's math?

    • 7.2 km
    • 120 cm
    • 2 m
    • 72 m

  12. The global conveyor drawn on a world map. NOAA: the conveyor moves more than 100 times the flow of the Amazon River. If the river's flow is 1 unit, how much does the conveyor move, by Esme's math?

    • Less than 1 unit
    • More than 100 units
    • About 10 units
    • About 1 unit
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Deep ocean currents: cold, salty water sinks

Answer Key - Grade 9 Science Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.

  1. The global conveyor drawn on a world map. What does the word thermohaline refer to, by Ari's reading (NOAA)?

    • Temperature and salinity
    • Tides and the pull of the Moon
    • Depth and pressure
    • Wind and waves

  2. Wind arrows above, density arrows far below. What drives deep-ocean currents, by Bo's reading (NOAA)?

    • Rivers
    • Strong surface winds blowing steadily across the open ocean
    • Tides
    • Differences in density from temperature and salinity

  3. Which water is densest and sinks, by Jun's reading (NOAA)?

    • Cold, salty water
    • Warm, salty water
    • Cold, fresh rainwater
    • Warm, fresh water

  4. Read this first

    Use this

    Sea ice forming above saltier, sinking water.

  5. When sea ice forms, what happens to the salt, by Luz's reading (NOAA)?

    • It freezes into the ice
    • It is left behind, making nearby water saltier
    • It turns into fresh water
    • It rises into the air

  6. Why does water near forming sea ice sink, by Milo's reading (NOAA)?

    • It gets colder and saltier, so its density rises
    • It gets fresher and lighter
    • It warms up and expands
    • The wind pushes it down

  7. Use this

    The global conveyor drawn on a world map.

  8. Where does the global conveyor belt start, by Noah's reading (NOAA)?

    • Near the pole in the North Atlantic
    • In the middle of the Indian Ocean
    • At the mouth of a river
    • At the equator in the Pacific

  9. Where is the conveyor recharged with more cold, dense water, by Pia's reading (NOAA)?

    • In the warm Indian Ocean
    • Off a tropical island
    • Around Antarctica
    • At the equator

  10. About how long does a cubic meter of water take to complete the conveyor, by Ren's reading (NOAA)?

    • About 1 year
    • About 1,000 years
    • About 10 days
    • About 1 million years

  11. A deep current moves 2 cm a second (example data). How far does it go in 1 hour, by Zee's math?

    • 7.2 km
    • 120 cm
    • 2 m
    • 72 m

  12. The global conveyor drawn on a world map. NOAA: the conveyor moves more than 100 times the flow of the Amazon River. If the river's flow is 1 unit, how much does the conveyor move, by Esme's math?

    • Less than 1 unit
    • More than 100 units
    • About 10 units
    • About 1 unit