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Apr 2, 2024 · The wind and sun make ocean currents move. At the equator, the sun heats water the strongest. When water heats, water molecules vibrate faster and eventually move farther apart. Hot water moves to the poles. From the equator, hot water pushes outward to the north and south pole.
- Types of Ocean Currents
- Causes of Ocean Currents
- Distribution of Ocean Currents
- Effects of Ocean Currents
- Ocean Currents and Climate Change
Ocean dynamics deals with the movement of water within the oceans. Oceanographers measure ocean currents in sverdrup, where one sverdrup equals the volume flow rate of 35,000,000 cubic feet per second. There are two fundamental types of ocean currents: surface currents and deep-water currents, which help to determine the character and flow of ocean...
The significant factors that determine the circulation pattern of ocean currents include the prevailing winds, variation in seawater temperature, rotation of the Earth and Coriolis force; figuration of the coastlines, and differences in the density of seawater. The topography of ocean basins and neighboring landmasses also influences ocean currents...
The ocean currents in the five big oceans of the world play an essential role in distributing the massive amount of heat, moisture, nutrients, and gases around the planet, in turn determining the climate of different regions on Earth. The warm ocean currents originate close to the Equator and move toward the higher latitudes, whereas the cold ocean...
The various effects of ocean currents have been discussed below. These are: Climatic conditions:Ocean currents influence the climatic conditions of the regions in which they flow. For example, the warm Equatorial currents raise the temperature of the region where they flow, while the cold currents decrease the temperature of the areas where they fl...
Several studies have reported that anthropogenic climate changehas led to increased surface seawater temperatures, evaporation of seawater, and rapid melting of glacial and sea ice. This influx of warm freshwater to the ocean surface has resulted in blocking sea ice formation and disrupting the sinking of denser, colder waters. Moreover, a rise in ...
- Diptarka Ghosh
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6 days ago · Global Ocean Currents Database. The Global Ocean Current Database (GOCD) integrates ocean current data from a wide variety of capture methods, resolutions, and formats into a single format (NetCDF) archive. The GOCD is a valuable resource that gives scientists and researchers a comprehensive depiction of global current activity and structure.
- Arctic Ocean. two major, slow-moving, wind-driven currents (drift streams) dominate: a clockwise drift pattern in the Beaufort Gyre in the western part of the Arctic Ocean and a nearly straight line Transpolar Drift Stream that moves eastward across the ocean from the New Siberian Islands (Russia) to the Fram Strait (between Greenland and Svalbard); sea ice that lies close to the center of the gyre can complete a 360 degree circle in about 2 years, while ice on the gyre periphery will complete the same circle in about 7-8 years; sea ice in the Transpolar Drift crosses the ocean in about 3 years.
- Atlantic Ocean. clockwise North Atlantic Gyre consists of the northward flowing, warm Gulf Stream in the west, the eastward flowing North Atlantic Current in the north, the southward flowing cold Canary Current in the east, and the westward flowing North Equatorial Current in the south; the counterclockwise South Atlantic Gyre composed of the southward flowing warm Brazil Current in the west, the eastward flowing South Atlantic Current in the south, the northward flowing cold Benguela Current in the east, and the westward flowing South Equatorial Current in the north.
- Indian Ocean. the counterclockwise Indian Ocean Gyre comprised of the southward flowing warm Agulhas and East Madagascar Currents in the west, the eastward flowing South Indian Current in the south, the northward flowing cold West Australian Current in the east, and the westward flowing South Equatorial Current in the north; a distinctive annual reversal of surface currents occurs in the northern Indian Ocean; low atmospheric pressure over southwest Asia from hot, rising, summer air results in the southwest monsoon and southwest-to-northeast winds and clockwise currents, while high pressure over northern Asia from cold, falling, winter air results in the northeast monsoon and northeast-to-southwest winds and counterclockwise currents.
- Pacific Ocean. the clockwise North Pacific Gyre formed by the warm northward flowing Kuroshio Current in the west, the eastward flowing North Pacific Current in the north, the southward flowing cold California Current in the east, and the westward flowing North Equatorial Current in the south; the counterclockwise South Pacific Gyre composed of the southward flowing warm East Australian Current in the west, the eastward flowing South Pacific Current in the south, the northward flowing cold Peru (Humbolt) Current in the east, and the westward flowing South Equatorial Current in the north.
This is a map ocean surface currents from 1877. (John James Wild, 1877) At the surface, currents are mainly driven by four factors—wind, the Sun’s radiation, gravity, and Earth’s rotation. All of these factors are interconnected. The Sun’s radiation creates prevailing wind patterns, which push ocean water to bunch in hills and valleys.
whirlpool. ocean current, stream made up of horizontal and vertical components of the circulation system of ocean waters that is produced by gravity, wind friction, and water density variation in different parts of the ocean. Ocean currents are similar to winds in the atmosphere in that they transfer significant amounts of heat from Earth’s ...
Feb 17, 2016 · Major wind driven ocean currents of the world for display at global scale. Currents are color coded to indicate warm and cold currents. This layer is derived from the WorldGeo_Physical_Climate_features feature service that includes multiple versions of this ocean currents layer optimized for different map scales.
