OCEAN CURRENTS OCEAN CURRENT q Ocean currents are

OCEAN CURRENTS

OCEAN CURRENT q Ocean currents are the vertical or horizontal movement of both surface and deep water throughout the world’s oceans. They can be called Global Conveyor belts! q They move in a specific direction and they are influenced by the number of factors: the Earth's rotation, the shape of the ocean floor, salinity levels , heat and wind q Surface currents are mostly caused by the wind because it creates friction as it moves over the water. q Density differences are caused by difference in temperature and salinity. q Seafloor topography and the shape of the ocean’s basins impact both surface and deep water currents as they restrict areas where water can move and "funnel" it into another.

OCEAN CURRENT - IMPORTANCE q Ocean currents are an important factor in the world weather. The Gulf Stream for example is a warm current that originates in the Gulf of Mexico and moves north towards Europe. Since it is full of warm water, the sea surface temperatures are warm which keeps places in Europe warm than other areas at similar latitudes. q Debris can also get trapped and moved around the world via currents. This can be man-made which is significant to the formation of trash islands or natural such as icebergs. The Labrador Current, which flows south out of the Arctic Ocean along the coasts of Newfoundland Nova Scotia, is famous for moving icebergs into shipping lanes in the North Atlantic. q Ocean currents are important to the distribution of the world’s sea life. q To avoid accidents at sea like being hit by an iceberg, the knowledge of currents is very important because that reduces shipping cost and reduces the use of fuel.

Examples of Ocean Current The South Equatorial Current occurs in the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans, and flows east to west between the equator and approximately 20°S. In the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, it extends across the equator to about 5° N. In the southern hemisphere, the South Equatorial Current is the northerly flank of the large gyres in each of the ocean basins. These gyres are driven by the combination of trade winds in the tropics and westerly winds that are found south of about 30 degrees south. Directly on the equator, the winds reverse twice a year due to the monsoons, and so the surface current can be either eastward or westward depending on the time of year.

BIBLIOGRAPGHY Credits: Top cover picture: science. howstuffworks. com Other pictures: seagrant. uaf. edu www. greenfudge. org Text : http: //geography. about. com/od/physicalgeography/a/oceancurrents. htm Examples: http: //www. saeonmarine. co. za/SADCOFun. Stuff/Major. Ocean. Currents. htm#So uth. Equatorial

AND THAT IS OCEAN CURRENTS