"An ocean current is a continuous, directed movement of seawater generated by a number of forces acting upon the water, including wind, the Coriolis effect, breaking waves, cabbeling, and temperature and salinity differences."
The movement of water in the ocean, including global ocean circulation, deep water formation, and the interaction with atmospheric processes.
Earth's rotation and its impact on ocean currents: This topic covers the Coriolis Effect, which explains how Earth's rotation influences the direction of ocean currents.
Thermohaline circulation: Also known as the Great Ocean Conveyor, this topic explains how differences in density caused by temperature and salinity impact the circulation of ocean currents.
Gyres: This topic covers large, circular ocean currents that are driven by winds and ocean currents.
El Niño and La Niña: This topic covers the global weather patterns associated with tropical Pacific Ocean temperature changes and how they impact ocean circulation.
Ocean eddies: This topic covers the swirling patterns of water that can occur within ocean currents, which can also influence larger ocean circulation patterns.
Ocean density: This topic covers the factors that influence the density of ocean water, including temperature, salinity, and pressure.
Ocean modeling: This topic covers the use of computer models and simulations to predict and study ocean circulation patterns and how they change over time.
Coastal currents: This topic covers the movement of ocean water along the coastline and how it can influence local weather patterns and marine ecosystems.
Upwelling and downwelling: This topic covers the vertical movement of ocean water, which can impact the distribution of nutrients and plankton in the ocean.
Tides: This topic covers the periodic rise and fall of ocean water, which is influenced by the gravitational pull of the Moon and Sun.
Ocean circulation and climate change: This topic covers how human activities, such as greenhouse gas emissions, can impact ocean circulation patterns and the climate.
Ocean currents and marine life: This topic covers how ocean circulation patterns can impact the distribution of marine species and their habitats.
Ocean circulation monitoring and measurement: This topic covers the various tools and techniques used to study and monitor ocean circulation patterns, including satellite monitoring and oceanographic research vessels.
Surface Circulation: The movement of water at the ocean's surface due to wind-driven currents, which can help to distribute heat more uniformly around the world’s oceans.
Deep Circulation: The flow of water in the deep ocean along with the deep thermohaline convection currents driven by differences in temperature and saltiness.
Gyres: Circular ocean currents that are driven by surface winds in a counter-clockwise direction in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise direction in the Southern Hemisphere.
Western Boundary Currents: Warm and fast-moving currents that travel along the western coasts of ocean basins (such as the Gulf Stream), transporting heat and energy from the tropics to higher latitudes.
Eastern Boundary Currents: Cool and slow-moving currents that flow along the eastern coasts of ocean basins (such as the California Current), and play an important role in supporting marine ecosystems.
Equatorial Currents: Eastward-moving currents that flow along the equator, driven by the trade winds, which transport warm water from the western Pacific to the eastern Pacific.
Upwelling: The movement of cold, nutrient-rich water from deep within the ocean to the surface, which supports the growth of plankton and other marine organisms.
Downwelling: The sinking of surface water to deeper ocean layers, which can help to distribute nutrients and oxygen to deeper ocean regions.
Tides: The rise and fall of ocean water levels due to the gravitational pull of the moon and sun, which can cause strong currents and affect marine ecosystems.
Eddies: Circular, swirling movements of ocean water, typically forming as a result of changes in ocean currents or water temperature.
"Depth contours, shoreline configurations, and interactions with other currents influence a current's direction and strength."
"Ocean currents are primarily horizontal water movements. An ocean current flows for great distances and together they create the global conveyor belt, which plays a dominant role in determining the climate of many of Earth's regions."
"Ocean currents influence the temperature of the regions through which they travel. For example, warm currents traveling along more temperate coasts increase the temperature of the area by warming the sea breezes that blow over them."
"Perhaps the most striking example is the Gulf Stream, which, together with its extension the North America Drift, makes northwest Europe much more temperate for its high latitude than other areas at the same latitude."
"Another example is Lima, Peru, whose cooler subtropical climate contrasts with that of its surrounding tropical latitudes because of the Humboldt Current."
"Ocean currents are patterns of water movement that influence climate zones and weather patterns around the world. They are primarily driven by winds and by seawater density."
"Many other factors – including the shape and configuration of the ocean basin they flow through – influence them."
"The two basic types of currents – surface and deep-water currents – help define the character and flow of ocean waters across the planet."
"The two basic types of currents – surface and deep-water currents – help define the character and flow of ocean waters across the planet."
"An ocean current is a continuous, directed movement of seawater generated by a number of forces acting upon the water, including wind, the Coriolis effect, breaking waves, cabbeling, and temperature and salinity differences."
"Ocean currents are primarily horizontal water movements... they create the global conveyor belt, which plays a dominant role in determining the climate of many of Earth's regions."
"An ocean current is a continuous, directed movement of seawater generated by a number of forces acting upon the water, including... temperature and salinity differences."
"Depth contours, shoreline configurations, and interactions with other currents influence a current's direction and strength."
"An ocean current flows for great distances and together they create the global conveyor belt."
"Perhaps the most striking example is the Gulf Stream, which, together with its extension the North America Drift, makes northwest Europe much more temperate for its high latitude than other areas at the same latitude."
"Ocean currents influence the temperature of the regions through which they travel."
"Ocean currents are primarily driven by winds."
"Ocean currents are patterns of water movement that influence climate zones and weather patterns around the world."
"Ocean currents are primarily driven by... seawater density."