Wind-Driven Water: How Surface Ocean Currents Move

If water moves from a warm region to a cold region, it carries that heat with it. If surface ocean currents move in large loops around the ocean, then they must carry warm water on one side of the loop and cold water on the other.

If water is moving from the cold poles toward the warm equator as part of a gyre, then it is a cold current. In the standard gyre pattern, these cold surface ocean currents are found on the eastern side of ocean basins, which is the west coast of continents.

If the Earth's rotation creates a different deflection depending on the hemisphere, then the direction of the bend will change. If it is to the right in the North, then it must be to the left in the South, creating counter-clockwise surface ocean currents.

If energy is transferred from the moving atmosphere to the top of the water through friction, then the water will begin to move. If global winds blow consistently in one direction, then they create surface ocean currents.

If wind only touches the surface of the sea, then its force can only reach a limited depth. If this force usually penetrates about 400 meters, then surface ocean currents represent only a small fraction of the ocean's total volume.

If the Earth is spinning while water is moving, then the path of the water will appear to curve. If this curvature is caused by the planet's rotation, then it is known as the Coriolis Effect.

If the Coriolis Effect deflects moving objects to the right in the Northern Hemisphere, then a current moving in a circle will turn right. If it continuously turns right, then the overall motion of the surface ocean currents will be clockwise.

If wind provides the push, the Coriolis Effect provides the bend, and land provides a barrier that forces the water to turn, then all three determine the path of surface ocean currents.

If a warm current originates in the Gulf of Mexico and travels north through the Atlantic, then it is named the Gulf Stream. This is one of the most famous surface ocean currents in the world.

If water is a fluid moving toward a solid barrier, then it cannot pass through the solid. If the water continues to be pushed by the wind, then it must turn and follow the edge of the land, changing the path of the surface ocean currents.

If currents carry heat, then they change the temperature of the air above them. If the air temperature changes, then the weather and climate of the nearby land are altered by those surface ocean currents.

If the wind pushes water and the continents force it to turn until it completes a full circle, then a massive loop is created. If this loop spans an entire ocean basin, then it is called a gyre.

If a current moves in the same direction as a ship, then it adds its speed to the ship's movement. If explorers knew the patterns of surface ocean currents, then they could travel between continents much more efficiently.

If the California, Brazil, and Canary currents are recognized parts of the global gyre system, then they are correct examples. The Amazon is a river and the Sahara is a desert, not surface ocean currents.

If the temperature of a current depends on where it started (the equator or the poles), then wind is not the cause of the temperature. If the wind only provides the motion, then the location of the current is what determines its heat.

If the top layer of the ocean is pushed by air, but the bottom layer moves because cold, salty water is heavier and sinks, then the deep movement is caused by density.

If surface ocean currents move in loops, then floating objects will follow those loops. If the loops converge in the middle, then the plastic will collect in "garbage patches" located in the center of the surface ocean currents.

If currents pick up heat at the equator and drop it off at the poles, then they are moving energy from one place to another. If they do this in a continuous loop, then they function like a global conveyor belt.

If the Coriolis Effect is the reason that currents curve, and the Coriolis Effect is caused by rotation, then no rotation means no curve. If the wind still pushes the water, then the surface ocean currents would simply follow the wind in a straight line.

If water is heavy and has a lot of friction, then it takes a massive amount of force to move it fast. If wind provides a moderate push, then surface ocean currents generally travel at a slow walking pace of about 1 or 2 miles per hour.