[′sər·fəs ‚kə·rənt] (oceanography) Water movement which extends to depths of 3-10 feet (1-3 meters) below the surface in nearshore areas, and to about 33 feet (10 meters) in deep-ocean areas. Any current whose maximum velocity core is at or near the surface.
Surface currents in the ocean are driven by global wind systems that are fueled by energy from the sun. Patterns of surface currents are determined by wind direction, Coriolis forces from the Earth's rotation, and the position of landforms that interact with the currents.
Surface currents are driven by global wind systems that are fueled by energy from the sun. These currents bring heat from the tropics to the polar regions; the Gulf Stream, for instance, brings warm water along the eastern coast of the US up to Northern Europe.
Surface currents are controlled by three factors: global winds, the Coriolis effect, and continental deflections. surface create surface currents in the ocean. Different winds cause currents to flow in different directions. objects from a straight path due to the Earth's rotation.
What makes ocean currents flow? Tides contribute to coastal currents that travel short distances. Major surface ocean currents in the open ocean, however, are set in motion by the wind, which drags on the surface of the water as it blows. The water starts flowing in the same direction as the wind.
The heat travels in surface currents to higher latitudes. A current that brings warmth into a high latitude region will make that region's climate less chilly. Surface ocean currents can create eddies, swirling loops of water, as they flow. Surface ocean currents can also affect upwelling in many places.
Ocean currents are located at the ocean surface and in deep water below 300 meters (984 feet). They can move water horizontally and vertically and occur on both local and global scales.
Warm surface water is carried from the low latitudes to the higher polar latitudes as a surface current. Forty minutes later we make a crash dive, regrouping at 15m below the surface current that whips across the reef-top.
Gyres Surface water circulates in oceans in massive circular patterns called gyres. The major surface currents (eastern boundary, western boundary, and equatorial current) in each ocean link to form a circle. Gyres are clockwise in the northern hemisphere and counterclockwise in the southern hemisphere.
surface currents. ocean currents that occur at or near the surface of the ocean, caused by wind. affected by 3 factors; continental deflections, the coriolis effect, and global winds.
List the three factors that control surface currents: Global winds, continental deflection and temperature, and the Coriolis effect.
Oceanic currents are driven by three main factors:The rise and fall of the tides. Tides create a current in the oceans, which are strongest near the shore, and in bays and estuaries along the coast. ... Wind. Winds drive currents that are at or near the ocean's surface. ... Thermohaline circulation.