Question

Which of the following statements about how surface currents affect climate is false?

Because surface currents are always warm, they warm the land they travel closest to.

A periodic change in the location of warm and cool surface waters in the Pacific Ocean changes global weather patterns.

A current that travels along the West Coast keeps temperatures along the coastline cooler than temperatures inland all year long.

England experiences warmer temperatures than other countries at the same latitude because of the warming effect of a surface current.

Answer 1

If you want to understand how interconnected our planet is—how patterns and events in one place can affect life half a world away—study El Niño.

Episodic shifts in winds and water currents across the equatorial Pacific can cause floods in the South American desert while stalling and drying up the monsoon in Indonesia and India. Atmospheric circulation patterns that promote hurricanes and typhoons in the Pacific can also knock them down over the Atlantic. Fish populations in one part of the ocean might crash, while others thrive and spread well beyond their usual territory.