Table of Contents
What is the relationship between wind and ocean currents?
The winds pull surface water with them, creating currents. As these currents flow westward, the Coriolis effect—a force that results from the rotation of the Earth—deflects them. The currents then bend to the right, heading north.
What causes Tradewinds?
The Coriolis Effect, in combination with an area of high pressure, causes the prevailing winds—the trade winds—to move from east to west on both sides of the equator across this 60-degree “belt.” The sinking air triggers the calm trade winds and little precipitation, completing the cycle.
What is gyre pattern?
Ocean gyres are large system of circular ocean currents formed by global wind patterns and forces created by Earth’s rotation. The five major circulation patterns formed by the currents on this map are the world’s five major ocean gyres: North Atlantic, South Atlantic, Indian, North Pacific, and South Pacific.
What is an eddy in the ocean?
An eddy is a circular current of water. The ocean is a huge body of water that is constantly in motion. General patterns of ocean flow are called currents. Sometimes theses currents can pinch off sections and create circular currents of water called an eddy. Significant eddies are assigned names similar to hurricanes.
The winds push the ocean beneath them into the same rotating gyres. And because water holds onto heat more effectively than air, these currents help redistribute warmth around the globe. Unlike surface currents, deep ocean currents are driven primarily by changes in the density of seawater.
What causes surface ocean currents in northern hemisphere?
Surface Ocean Currents. Atmospheric circulation and the Coriolis effect create global wind patterns including the trade winds and westerlies. Click the image for a larger view. In the Northern Hemisphere, warm air around the equator rises and flows north toward the pole.
Why does water flow in the same direction as the wind?
The water starts flowing in the same direction as the wind. But currents do not simply track the wind. Other things, including the shape of the coastline and the seafloor, and most importantly the rotation of the Earth, influence the path of surface currents.
How are surface currents and deep currents related?
Surface currents control the motion of the top 10 percent of the ocean’s water, while deep-ocean currents mobilize the other 90 percent. Though they have different causes, surface and deep ocean currents influence each other in an intricate dance that keeps the entire ocean moving.