The map shows surface ocean currents in the Atlantic Ocean in January.

cartography ©Philips

Describe the pattern of ocean currents shown on the map.

Explain the functioning and importance of the oceanic conveyor belt.

“Ocean fishing can never be sustainable.” Discuss this statement.

Warm ocean currents move water away from the equator whereas cold ocean currents move water away from cold regions towards the equator. Warm currents tend to be on the west side of the Atlantic ocean and cold currents tend to be on the east. The current circulation in the northern hemisphere is clockwise; in the southern hemisphere it is anticlockwise. The northern Atlantic does not have a circumpolar current, whereas the southern Atlantic does. Warmer currents appear to be faster than colder currents. Anomalies such as the Labrador current should be credited.

Award 1 mark for each valid point made up to a maximum of 4 marks. Award a maximum of 2 marks for a listing/description of currents where no pattern is identified or described.

Functioning (how it works) – the oceanic conveyor belt is important for the transfer of energy. In polar regions, cold, salty water sinks into the depths and makes its way towards the equator. This cold, dense water sweeps around Antarctica and then spreads into the deep basins of the Atlantic, the Pacific and the Indian Oceans. Surface currents bring warm water to the North Atlantic from the Indian and Pacific Oceans.

Importance (why it matters) – it raises temperatures in some mid-latitudes such as the British Isles and Scandinavia. It also influences the amount of rainfall received in certain areas. In addition, it brings nutrients up from the seabed and carries them around the world creating valuable fishing grounds. This benefits a range of human activities including agriculture, tourism and ocean navigation.

Award a maximum of 4 marks if only functioning or importance is explained.

Sustainability needs to be explained in terms of maintaining fish catches (or yields) without causing any decline in stocks.

Sustainability measures include quotas, bans and the closing of fishing areas. However, these still fail to address the real problems of the fishing industry: too many fishermen are chasing too few fish and too many immature fish are being caught. For fisheries to be protected and for the industry to be competitive on a world scale, the number of boats and the number of people employed in fishing must be reduced. At the same time, the efficiencies which come from improved technology could be considered. The industry’s fishing capacity continues to increase. The number of vessels is increasing slowly. However, each boat has greater capacity due to improved technology. Due to overcapacity, much of the investment in new technology is wasted. The amount of fish caught at sea has barely changed in the last decade. Fish stocks are depleted, so the effort to catch the fish remaining is higher than it needs to be.

Other themes that could be explored may focus on issues of increasing global consumption due to growing population numbers and affluence and long-term difficulties in matching rising demand with supplies, as well as the greater use of aquaculture.

Changes in dietary pattern could also have an influence, for example, the current trend in many MEDCs for moving from a red meat to a fish diet and fish supplements, increasing numbers of sushi restaurants etc.

Attempts to make fishing more sustainable – regulations: net sizes, line lengths, depth of fishing, education policies, establishment of non-fishing zones.

Valid alternative approaches should also be credited.

Answers accessing markbands E/F should include a balanced conclusion, however, they may be speculative.

Marks should be allocated according to the markbands.

Knowledge and understanding was limited, with the term "pattern of ocean currents" ignored by some candidates.

The importance of the oceanic conveyor belt was handled much better by candidates than was its functioning. Some candidates did not have any clear idea of what the oceanic conveyor belt is.

Descriptive case studies tended to overwhelm genuine discussion, with surprisingly few candidates offering evidenced accounts of sustainable fishing methods.