Prevailing Winds
~The Prevailing Winds are one of the major causes of ocean currents. The Trade Winds are from the equator to 30 degrees and blow from east to west. ~The Westerlies (hence the name) blow from west to east and are from 30 degrees to 60 degrees.The Prevailng Winds cause surface currents.
~The Polar Easterlies blow form 60 degrees to 90 degrees blowing east to west. These winds (hence name) are found in the north adn south poles.
Thermohaline Circulation
The ocean has both salt and temperature which determines density.Thermo means temperature. Haline means salinity or salt content.Thermohaline Currents refers to the movement of ocean water caused by differences in density. The differences are caused by warming and cooling of the ocean water. This is also the Great ocean Conveyor Belt.
Ocean Water Salinlty
Surface Currents
The water at the ocean surface is moved mainly by winds that blow in certain patterns because of the Earth’s spin and the Corilolis Effect. Winds are able to move up to the first 400 meters of the ocean. Thus creating SURFACE CURRENTS!
Deep Water Currents
Deep water ocean currents are formed when cold, nutrient-rich water sinks and flows away from the surface. There are sources of deep water currents in the northern and southern hemisphere. These currents circulate basically at the deep and shallow ocean levels.
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l Above is a map of some ocean currents. l The red line closest to the U.S. and Mexico l is the Gulf Stream. l |
The Coriolis Effect
The Coriolis Effect is a force described by the 19th-century French engineer-mathematician Gustave-Gaspard Coriolis in 1835. It has to do with the rotation of the Earth. It moves