North Atlantic Gyre

High school (ages 12+)
Geography

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/north-atlantic-gyre

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the environmental concern?Known to accumulate anthropogenic marine debris, forming a significant 'garbage patch'
2. How does the North Atlantic Gyre move water?It is mainly pushed by wind patterns and the Earth's rotation, making currents go north, south, east, and west.
3. Why is the Sargasso Sea special inside the North Atlantic Gyre?It is a calm area with lots of floating seaweed that creates a home for special fish, turtles, and other creatures.

Oceanic Gyre: A large system of circulating ocean currents, driven by wind patterns and the Earth's rotation, forming a vast, continuous flow.
Sargasso Sea: A unique oceanic region within the North Atlantic Gyre, characterized by its floating sargassum seaweed and absence of land boundaries.
Thermohaline Circulation: Global ocean circulation driven by density differences caused by variations in temperature and salinity, also known as the global conveyor belt.
North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW): A major component of global ocean circulation, formed by the sinking of dense, cold, and salty water in the North Atlantic.