Physical Processes
Ocean Circulation and Currents
Also Known As Ocean Currents
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Ocean circulation moves water across the planet through three distinct mechanisms: tidal currents driven by the gravitational pull of the sun and moon, wind-driven surface currents operating from local coastlines to entire ocean basins, and the slow, deep thermohaline circulation driven by differences in temperature and salinity. Together these currents redistribute heat around the planet and are essential to maintaining the existing balance of life on Earth.
Facts
Process Type TimescaleWind-driven surface currents respond within days and are measured in meters per second; the deep thermohaline circulation moves far more slowly, on the order of centuries per circuit. 1 First Proposed Year Cross-Tradition Connections
Demonstrated By
Carries the Gulf Stream and forms the surface return leg of the thermohaline global conveyor belt.
Carries the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, the strongest and most textbook example of wind- and density-driven ocean circulation.
Sources
1. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationWhat causes ocean currents?, NOAA Ocean ExplorationQuote, What causes ocean currents?, NOAA Ocean Exploration
Ocean currents can be caused by wind, density differences in water masses caused by temperature and salinity variations, gravity, and events such as earthquakes or storms.
1. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationDemonstrated By: The Southern OceanView the Source 2. Matthew Fontaine Maury (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationLead sectionQuote, Lead section
his book, The Physical Geography of the Sea (1855), was the first comprehensive work on oceanography to be published.
What is the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC)? (NOAA)
National Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationDemonstrated By: The Atlantic Ocean, AMOC explainerQuote, Demonstrated By: The Atlantic Ocean, AMOC explainer
The AMOC is a system of ocean currents that circulates water within the Atlantic Ocean, bringing warm water north and cold water south.
Ocean Current (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationDemonstrated By: The Pacific Ocean, Economic importance sectionQuote, Demonstrated By: The Pacific Ocean, Economic importance section
Ocean currents can also impact the fishing industry, examples of this include the Tsugaru, Oyashio and Kuroshio currents all of which influence the western North Pacific temperature
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