Ocean Circulation

Ocean Circulation

    The ocean is constantly in motion, distributing water and heat to all corners of the globe. In effect, the ocean acts as a circulating machine that makes Earth’s climate equitable. Ocean currents follow well-defined courses. 

Why?

• Difference in heating leads to the different in surface temperature.
• This difference causes the movement of water boy (Ocean) that form the current.
• This method of heat transfer is called as Convection; hence it is sometimes mentioned as convectional currents. 
• Just like that happens our kitchen while boiling water. 

  How important it is?

•  The ocean transports tremendous quantities of seawater, serving as a global conveyor belt over the planet.

• Abyssal storms stir the deep-ocean floor, shifting sediments on the seabed.

• El Niño currents generate unusual weather patterns throughout the world.

• Waves and tides are constantly changing and rearranging the shoreline.

        Currents in the upper regions of the ocean are driven by the winds, which impart their momentum to the ocean’s surface. The currents do not flow in the wind direction. Instead, they are deflected by the Coriolis effect. Currents moving toward the poles experience the surface slowing down, which deflects them to the east. Currents moving toward the equator experience the surface speeding up, which deflects them toward the west.

 

What does the current do?

• The Gulf Stream snakes 13,000 miles clockwise around the North Atlantic basin, transporting warm tropical water to the northern regions.
• The counterpart of the Gulf Stream in the North Pacific is another strong flow called the Japan current. This current bears warm water from the tropics, sweeps northward against Japan, crosses the upper Pacific, and turns southward to warm the western coast of North America.
• The major current in the South Pacific is the Humboldt3 or Peru current, which flows northward along the west coast of South America

 If found interesting check the video below for more 

 

Reference Books:

1. Marine Geology, Exploring the New Frontiers of the Ocean (Jon Erickson, Timothy Kusky)

2.  Atmosphere, Ocean, And Climate Dynamics - An Introductory Text - John Marshall And R. Alan Plumb ).