Currents Are Rivers of Water That Move Continuously Through the Ocean in a Specific Direction

Directional mass flow of oceanic water generated by external or internal forces

Distinctive white lines trace the flow of surface currents around the world.

Visualization showing global ocean currents from Jan 01, 2010 to Dec 31, 2012 at sea level then at 2000 meters below sea level

Animation of circulation around ice shelves of Antarctica

An ocean current is a continuous, directed movement of sea water generated by a number of forces acting upon the water, including wind, the Coriolis effect, breaking waves, cabbeling, and temperature and salinity differences.^[1] 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. More specifically, 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 makes northwest Europe much more temperate for its high latitude compared to other areas at the same latitude. Another example is Lima, Peru, where the climate is cooler, being sub-tropical, than the tropical latitudes in which the area is located, due to the effect of the Humboldt Current. Ocean currents are patterns of water movement that influence climate zones and weather patterns around the world. They're primarily driven by winds and by seawater density, although 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.

Causes [edit]

Ocean dynamics define and describe the motion of water within the oceans. Ocean temperature and motion fields can be separated into three distinct layers: mixed (surface) layer, upper ocean (above the thermocline), and deep ocean. Ocean currents are measured in sverdrup (sv), where 1 sv is equivalent to a volume flow rate of 1,000,000 m³ (35,000,000 cu ft) per second.

Surface currents, which make up only 8% of all water in the ocean, are generally restricted to the upper 400 m (1,300 ft) of ocean water, and are separated from lower regions by varying temperatures and salinity which affect the density of the water, which in turn, defines each oceanic region. Because the movement of deep water in ocean basins is caused by density-driven forces and gravity, deep waters sink into deep ocean basins at high latitudes where the temperatures are cold enough to cause the density to increase.

Wind driven circulation [edit]

Surface oceanic currents are driven by wind currents, the large scale prevailing winds drive major persistent ocean currents, and seasonal or occasional winds drive currents of similar persistence to the winds that drive them,^[4] and the Coriolis effect plays a major role in their development.^[5] The Ekman spiral velocity distribution results in the currents flowing at an angle to the driving winds, and they develop typical clockwise spirals in the northern hemisphere and counter-clockwise rotation in the southern hemisphere.^[6] In addition, the areas of surface ocean currents move somewhat with the seasons; this is most notable in equatorial currents.

Deep ocean basins generally have a non-symmetric surface current, in that the eastern equator-ward flowing branch is broad and diffuse whereas the pole-ward flowing western boundary current is relatively narrow.

Thermohaline circulation [edit]

Deep ocean currents are driven by density and temperature gradients. This thermohaline circulation is also known as the ocean's conveyor belt. These currents, sometimes called submarine rivers, flow deep below the surface of the ocean and are hidden from immediate detection. Where significant vertical movement of ocean currents is observed, this is known as upwelling and downwelling. Deep ocean currents are currently^{[ when? ]} being researched using a fleet of underwater robots called Argo.

The thermohaline circulation is a part of the large-scale ocean circulation that is driven by global density gradients created by surface heat and freshwater fluxes.^[7] ^[8] The adjective thermohaline derives from thermo- referring to temperature and -haline referring to salt content, factors which together determine the density of sea water. Wind-driven surface currents (such as the Gulf Stream) travel polewards from the equatorial Atlantic Ocean, cooling en route, and eventually sinking at high latitudes (forming North Atlantic Deep Water). This dense water then flows into the ocean basins. While the bulk of it upwells in the Southern Ocean, the oldest waters (with a transit time of around 1000 years)^[9] upwell in the North Pacific.^[10] Extensive mixing therefore takes place between the ocean basins, reducing differences between them and making the Earth's oceans a global system. On their journey, the water masses transport both energy (in the form of heat) and matter (solids, dissolved substances and gases) around the globe. As such, the state of the circulation has a large impact on the climate of the Earth. The thermohaline circulation is sometimes called the ocean conveyor belt, the great ocean conveyor, or the global conveyor belt. On occasion, it is imprecisely used to refer to the meridional overturning circulation, (MOC).

Coupling data collected by NASA/JPL by several different satellite-borne sensors, researchers have been able to "break through" the ocean's surface to detect "Meddies" – super-salty warm-water eddies that originate in the Mediterranean Sea and then sink more than a half-mile underwater in the Atlantic Ocean. The Meddies are shown in red in this scientific figure.

A recording current meter

Distribution [edit]

A 1943 map of the world's ocean currents

Currents of the Arctic Ocean

Baffin Island Current – Arctic Ocean current
Beaufort Gyre – Wind-driven ocean current in the Arctic Ocean polar region
East Greenland Current – Current from Fram Strait to Cape Farewell off the eastern coat of Greenland
East Iceland Current – Cold water ocean current that forms as a branch of the East Greenland Current
Labrador Current – Cold current in the Atlantic ocean along the coasts of Labrador, Newfoundland and Nova Scotia
North Icelandic Jet – Deep-reaching current that flows along the continental slope of Iceland
Norwegian Current – A current that flows northeasterly along the Atlantic coast of Norway into the Barents Sea
Transpolar Drift Stream – An ocean current of the Arctic Ocean
West Greenland Current – Weak cold water current that flows to the north along the west coast of Greenland
West Spitsbergen Current – Warm, salty current that runs poleward just west of Spitsbergen

Currents of the Atlantic Ocean

Angola Current – Temporary ocean surface current
Antilles Current – Ocean current
Atlantic meridional overturning circulation – System of currents in the Atlantic Ocean
Azores Current – Ocean current in the North Atlantic Ocean
Benguela Current – Ocean current in the South Atlantic
Brazil Current – Warm current that flows south along the Brazilian south coast to the mouth of the Río de la Plata
Canary Current – Wind-driven surface current that is part of the North Atlantic Gyre
Cape Horn Current – Cold water current that flows west-to-east around Cape Horn
Caribbean Current – Atlantic Ocean current
East Greenland Current – Current from Fram Strait to Cape Farewell off the eastern coat of Greenland
East Iceland Current – Cold water ocean current that forms as a branch of the East Greenland Current
Equatorial Counter Current – Shallow eastward flowing current found in the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans
Falkland Current – Northward cold water Atlantic Ocean current
Florida Current – Thermal ocean current
Guinea Current – A slow warm water current that flows to the east along the Guinea coast of West Africa
Gulf Stream – Warm Atlantic Ocean current
Irminger Current – North Atlantic current setting westward off the southwest coast of Iceland
Labrador Current – Cold current in the Atlantic ocean along the coasts of Labrador, Newfoundland and Nova Scotia
Lomonosov Current – Deep current in the Atlantic Ocean. from the coast of Brazil to the Gulf of Guinea
Loop Current – Ocean current between Cuba and Yucatán Peninsula
North Atlantic Current – Current of the Atlantic Ocean
North Brazil Current – North Atlantic ocean current
North Equatorial Current – Current in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans
Norwegian Current – A current that flows northeasterly along the Atlantic coast of Norway into the Barents Sea
Portugal Current – Weak ocean current that flows south along the coast of Portugal
South Atlantic Current – Eastward ocean current, fed by the Brazil Current
South Equatorial Current – Ocean current in the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Ocean
West Greenland Current – Weak cold water current that flows to the north along the west coast of Greenland
West Spitsbergen Current – Warm, salty current that runs poleward just west of Spitsbergen

Currents of the Indian Ocean

Agulhas Current – Western boundary current of the southwest Indian Ocean that flows down the east coast of Africa
Agulhas Return Current – Ocean current in the southern Indian Ocean
East Madagascar Current – Oceanic flow feature near Madagascar
Equatorial Counter Current – Shallow eastward flowing current found in the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans
Indian Monsoon Current – Seasonally-varying ocean current regime found in the tropical regions of the northern Indian Ocean
Indonesian Throughflow – Ocean current
Leeuwin Current – Ocean current off Western Australia
Madagascar Current – Ocean current in the West Indian Ocean
Mozambique Current – Warm ocean current in the Indian Ocean
North Madagascar Current – Ocean current near Madagascar that flows into the South Equatorial Current
Somali Current – Ocean boundary current that flows along the coast of Somalia and Oman in the Western Indian Ocean
South Equatorial Current – Ocean current in the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Ocean
Southwest Madagascar Coastal Current – Warm poleward ocean current flowing in the south-west of Madagascar
West Australian Current – Cool oceanic current

Currents of the Pacific Ocean

Alaska Current – Warm-water current flowing nortwards along the coast of British Columbia and the Alaska Panhandle
Aleutian Current – Eastward-flowing ocean current which lies north of the North Pacific Current;
California Current – Pacific Ocean current
Cape Horn Current – Cold water current that flows west-to-east around Cape Horn
Cromwell Current – Eastward-flowing subsurface current that extends along the equator in the Pacific Ocean
Davidson Current – Countercurrent of the Pacific Ocean
East Australian Current – Currents of the Pacific Ocean
East Korea Warm Current – Ocean current in the Sea of Japan
Equatorial Counter Current – Shallow eastward flowing current found in the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans
Humboldt Current – Current of the Pacific Ocean
Indonesian Throughflow – Ocean current
Kamchatka Current – Pacific Ocean current
Kuroshio Current – North flowing ocean current on the west side of the North Pacific Ocean
Mindanao Current – Narrow, southward flowing ocean current along the southeastern coast of the Philippines
Mindanao Eddy – Semi-permanent cold-ring eddy formed in the retroflection area of the Mindanao Current.
North Equatorial Current – Current in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans
North Korea Cold Current – Cold water current in the Sea of Japan
North Pacific Current – Slow warm water current that flows west-to-east between 30 and 50 degrees north in the Pacific Ocean
Oyashio Current – Cold subarctic ocean current in the Pacific Ocean
South Equatorial Current – Ocean current in the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Ocean
Subtropical Countercurrent – Narrow eastward ocean current in the central North Pacific Ocean
Tasman Front – Pacific Ocean current
Tasman Outflow – Deepwater current that flows from the Pacific Ocean past Tasmania into the Indian Ocean

Currents of the Southern Ocean

Antarctic Circumpolar Current – Ocean current that flows clockwise from west to east around Antarctica
Tasman Outflow – Deepwater current that flows from the Pacific Ocean past Tasmania into the Indian Ocean
Kerguelen deep western boundary current^[2] ^[3]

Oceanic gyres

Beaufort Gyre – Wind-driven ocean current in the Arctic Ocean polar region
Indian Ocean Gyre – Major oceanic gyre in the Indian Ocean
North Atlantic Gyre – Major circular system of ocean currents
North Pacific Gyre – Major circulating system of ocean currents
Ross Gyre – Circulating system of ocean currents in the Ross Sea
South Atlantic Gyre – Subtropical gyre in the south Atlantic Ocean
South Pacific Gyre – Major circulating system of ocean currents
Weddell Gyre – One of two gyres within the Southern Ocean

Effects on climate and ecology [edit]

Ocean currents are important in the study of marine debris, and vice versa. These currents also affect temperatures throughout the world. For example, the ocean current that brings warm water up the north Atlantic to northwest Europe also cumulatively and slowly blocks ice from forming along the seashores, which would also block ships from entering and exiting inland waterways and seaports, hence ocean currents play a decisive role in influencing the climates of regions through which they flow. Cold ocean water currents flowing from polar and sub-polar regions bring in a lot of plankton that are crucial to the continued survival of several key sea creature species in marine ecosystems. Since plankton are the food of fish, abundant fish populations often live where these currents prevail.

Ocean currents are also very important in the dispersal of many life forms. An example is the life-cycle of the European Eel.

Economic importance [edit]

Knowledge of surface ocean currents is essential in reducing costs of shipping, since traveling with them reduces fuel costs. In the wind powered sailing-ship era, knowledge of wind patterns and ocean currents was even more essential. A good example of this is the Agulhas Current (down along eastern Africa), which long prevented sailors from reaching India. In recent times, around-the-world sailing competitors make good use of surface currents to build and maintain speed. Ocean currents can also be used for marine power generation, with areas of Japan, Florida and Hawaii being considered for test projects.

References [edit]

^ NOAA, NOAA. "What is a current?". Ocean Service Noaa. National Ocean Service. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
^ ^a ^b "Massive Southern Ocean current discovered". ScienceDaily. Apr 27, 2010.
^ ^a ^b Yasushi Fukamachi, Stephen Rintoul; et al. (Apr 2010). "Strong export of Antarctic Bottom Water east of the Kerguelen plateau". Nature Geoscience. 3 (5): 327–331. Bibcode:2010NatGe...3..327F. doi:10.1038/NGEO842.
^ "Current". www.nationalgeographic.org. National Geographic. 2 September 2011. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
^ "Ocean Currents of the World: Causes". 29 August 2020. Retrieved 2020-11-20 .
^ National Ocean Service (March 25, 2008). "Surface Ocean Currents". noaa.gov. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived from the original on July 6, 2017. Retrieved 2017-06-13 .
^ Rahmstorf, S (2003). "The concept of the thermohaline circulation" (PDF). Nature. 421 (6924): 699. Bibcode:2003Natur.421..699R. doi:10.1038/421699a. PMID 12610602. S2CID 4414604.
^ Lappo, SS (1984). "On reason of the northward heat advection across the Equator in the South Pacific and Atlantic ocean". Study of Ocean and Atmosphere Interaction Processes. Moscow Department of Gidrometeoizdat (in Mandarin): 125–9.
^ The global ocean conveyor belt is a constantly moving system of deep-ocean circulation driven by temperature and salinity; What is the global ocean conveyor belt?
^ Primeau, F (2005). "Characterizing transport between the surface mixed layer and the ocean interior with a forward and adjoint global ocean transport model" (PDF). Journal of Physical Oceanography. 35 (4): 545–64. Bibcode:2005JPO....35..545P. doi:10.1175/JPO2699.1. S2CID 130736022.

External links [edit]

Current global map of sea surface currents

washingtonchases.blogspot.com

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean_current

Currents Are Rivers of Water That Move Continuously Through the Ocean in a Specific Direction

Causes [edit]

Wind driven circulation [edit]

Thermohaline circulation [edit]

Distribution [edit]

Effects on climate and ecology [edit]

Economic importance [edit]

See also [edit]

References [edit]

Further reading [edit]

External links [edit]

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