Define Ocean Currents

Introduction to ocean currents

Ocean water are in moving condition continuously. The ocean current flows in the complex patterns and they are affected by the moving air or wind, water salinity, temperature of water, topography of ocean floor and the rotation of earth. The ocean currents are driven by the fast moving air and by the solar heating water near the equator. The ocean current flows in the unique direction and the flow is almost constant.

Definition of Ocean Currents

An ocean current is a continuous flow of the ocean water developed by the forces acting upon the water surface due to water salinity gradient and other reasons. The major reason of producing the ocean waves is the gravitational pull of the moon and the sun.  The ocean currents can flow through the long distances and them flows together so that they create the great flow of the global conveyor which plays the important role for the climate of the earth. The ocean current, which flows on the surface of the ocean, develops the typical clockwise spirals in the northern hemisphere of the earth and anti clockwise spirals in the southern hemisphere of the earth. Inside the deep ocean, the density and the temperature differences drive the ocean currents. The ocean currents are made up by the 10% of all the water in the ocean. The ocean currents are at the depth of 400 m from the free surface of water.

Cause of Ocean Currents

The water in the oceans flows continuously in the oceans which results the ocean currents. The ocean currents may flow on the surface of water or may flow deep inside the water. The motion of the ocean currents are due to the wind. The ocean currents, which flows along the equator in each of the major oceans. These ocean currents carry warm water. As the ocean currents reaches at the continents, they split into two parts which are moving in the opposite directions. The water which goes farther and farther away from the equator, they gets cooled and they come back again near to the equator either in clockwise or in anticlockwise direction.