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9th grade Deep ocean currents: cold, salty water sinks worksheet

6 printable versionsBuilding Confidence10 questions · answer keyFree · no account

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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
    • Wind and waves
    • Depth and pressure

  2. Read this first

    Use this

    Wind arrows above, density arrows far below.

  3. What drives deep-ocean currents, by Bo's reading (NOAA)?

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

  4. NOAA: winds drive currents in the upper 100 m. Where do the density-driven currents flow, by Kira's reading?

    • Just in the top 100 m
    • Thousands of meters below the surface
    • Near the surface, pushed along by the wind
    • Inside rivers

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

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

  6. Use this

    Sea ice forming above saltier, sinking water.

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

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

  8. 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

  9. Use this

    The global conveyor drawn on a world map.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    • 2 m
    • 72 m
    • 120 cm
    • 7.2 km
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9th grade Deep ocean currents: cold, salty water sinks worksheet – printable
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About this worksheet

Explain deep ocean circulation: cold, salty water sinks. Every version has 10 questions, and the answer key prints on the second page.

What your child will learn

  • I can explain that cold, salty water is dense and sinks, and that sea ice leaves salt behind in the water.
  • I can trace the conveyor: sinking near the pole in the North Atlantic, south to Antarctica, rising in the Indian and Pacific, and back.
  • I can compare deep and surface speeds (a few cm a second against tens to hundreds) and the roughly 1,000-year loop.

Standard: supports HS-ESS2-4

Words to know

thermohaline: Driven by temperature and salinity

salinity: How much salt is dissolved in water

density: Mass per volume; denser water sinks

global conveyor belt: The planet-wide loop of deep and surface currents

brine left behind: Salt that stays in the water when sea ice forms

Common mistakes

Your child reversed which water sinks. NOAA: cold, salty water is dense and sinks; warm water is less dense and stays near the surface.

Your child had sea ice take the salt. NOAA: when sea ice forms, the salt is left behind, so nearby water gets saltier and denser.

Your child named wind as the deep driver. NOAA: winds drive the upper 100 m; deep currents are driven by density from temperature and salinity (thermohaline).

Questions parents ask

What is the most common mistake with deep ocean currents: cold, salty water sinks?

Your child reversed which water sinks. NOAA: cold, salty water is dense and sinks; warm water is less dense and stays near the surface.

Are these 9th grade science worksheets free to print?

Yes. All 6 printable versions at each level are free to print, with the answer key, and no account is needed.

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