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Physical Process

Ocean Circulation and Currents

Also Known As Ocean Currents
Hydrological and Oceanic Processes

Ocean circulation moves water across the planet through three distinct mechanisms: tidal currents driven by the gravitational pull of the sun and moon, wind-driven surface currents operating from local coastlines to entire ocean basins, and the slow, deep thermohaline circulation driven by differences in temperature and salinity. Together these currents redistribute heat around the planet and are essential to maintaining the existing balance of life on Earth.

Facts
Process Type
Oceanic 1
Timescale
Wind-driven surface currents respond within days and are measured in meters per second; the deep thermohaline circulation moves far more slowly, on the order of centuries per circuit. 1
First Proposed Year
1855 2
Timescale
Timescale (category)
Seconds 1
Timescale (category)
Days 1
Timescale (category)
Centuries 1
Connections

Caused By

Atmospheric Circulation, Physical Processes
Source Ocean Current (Wikipedia)

Demonstrated By

The Atlantic Ocean, Bodies of Water

Carries the Gulf Stream and forms the surface return leg of the thermohaline global conveyor belt.

Source What is the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC)? (NOAA)
The Pacific Ocean, Bodies of Water
Source Ocean Current (Wikipedia)
The Southern Ocean, Bodies of Water

Carries the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, the strongest and most textbook example of wind- and density-driven ocean circulation.

Source National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Sources
1. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
  • What causes ocean currents?, NOAA Ocean Exploration
    Ocean currents can be caused by wind, density differences in water masses caused by temperature and salinity variations, gravity, and events such as earthquakes or storms.
  • Demonstrated By: The Southern Ocean
View the Source
2. Matthew Fontaine Maury (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationLead section
Quote, Lead section
his book, The Physical Geography of the Sea (1855), was the first comprehensive work on oceanography to be published.
View the Source
What is the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC)? (NOAA)
National Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationDemonstrated By: The Atlantic Ocean, AMOC explainer
Quote, Demonstrated By: The Atlantic Ocean, AMOC explainer
The AMOC is a system of ocean currents that circulates water within the Atlantic Ocean, bringing warm water north and cold water south.
View the Source
Ocean Current (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia Foundation
  • Demonstrated By: The Pacific Ocean, Economic importance section
    Ocean currents can also impact the fishing industry, examples of this include the Tsugaru, Oyashio and Kuroshio currents all of which influence the western North Pacific temperature
  • Caused By: Atmospheric Circulation, Surface currents section
    Surface oceanic currents are driven by wind currents, the large scale prevailing winds drive major persistent ocean currents, and seasonal or occasional winds drive currents of similar persistence to the winds that drive them.
View the Source
El Nino-Southern Oscillation (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationEncompasses: El Nino-Southern Oscillation, Fundamentals section
Quote, Encompasses: El Nino-Southern Oscillation, Fundamentals section
If the trade winds (blowing from east to west) are weaker than average, then both the upwelling in the East Pacific and the flow of warmer ocean surface waters towards the West Pacific lessen.
View the Source
Ocean Gyre Formation (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationEncompasses: Ocean Gyre FormationView the Source
Thermocline Formation (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationEncompasses: Thermocline FormationView the Source
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