Ocean currents either warm or cool the air above them. Currents and Circulation Patterns in the OceansThe oceans are in constant motion. B intensify and storm systems to form. The large-scale pattern of surface ocean currents is set up by winds. There is also an eastward-flowing Equatorial Undercurrent, which forms a jet within the thermocline , driven by the horizontal pressure gradient . How Do Ocean Currents Affect Climate? If you live near the ocean, in a marine climate, what kind of winters would you expect? This upwelling water is usually rich in nutrients, which is why many upwelling regions are also abundant with fish. Wind-driven and ocean-current circulations move warm water toward the poles and colder water toward the equator. At the Equator, the sun warms the water and land more than it does the rest of the globe. This cause a very slight slope and water wants to flow down the slope. Boundary Currents: Western: Carry warm water from tropics poleward on west ocean basins, Eastern: Eastern side of ocean basins, flow equatorward transporting cold water from high to low latitudes. The atmosphere only contains about 2.5 cm of water and clouds contain only 0.05 mm. Solar heating cause water to expand. 7. Examples include the Gulf Stream, the Agulhas Current, and the Kuroshio. The Atlantic North Equatorial Current is pushed westward by the Northeast Trade Winds between latitude 10° and 20° N. Fed in part by the South Atlantic Equatorial, it turns north as the Antilles, Caribbean, and Florida currents, which eventually become the Gulf Stream.Some of the Gulf Stream’s waters eventually arc southward as the Azores and Canary currents, which swing west … Flood waters carry sediments: large particles (boulders, gravel, and sand) roll and bounce along on the stream bed; finer materials (fine sand, silt, and clay) can be carried in suspension. So if we look at the circulation map, most of the surface currents making up gyers don’t cross the equator but flow along it horizontally. This figure shows sea surface wind speed, as derived from a NASA's satellite (Aqua) for the month of November, 2004. They carry warm water from the tropics poleward. The currents in the ocean change the depth of the water. As the warmer water is "moved" out of the way by the wind, colder waters are exposed to the surface off the western coast of South America. They work together to move heat and fresh water across the globe. Warm currents are those that flow from equatorial regions towards the poles and have a higher surface temperature. This is a low-pressure system. Tags: Question 20 . Global winds drag on the water’s surface, causing it to move and build up in the direction that the wind is blowing. The ocean and atmosphere are connected. What kind of water do equatorial currents carry a. clear b.cold c.fresh d. warm 2 See answers ... an eastward flow of oceanic water in opposition to and flanked by the westward equatorial currents of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans. Ocean Currents: As long as there is a temperature difference between two different sections of water, there will be currents. SURVEY . Ocean currents can transport heat. But currents do not simply track the wind. From north to south, east to west, and up and down the shore, ocean water moves all over the place. How do ocean currents affect climate? Upwelling. A. Related Papers. Flowing water transports, grinds fragments, and erodes landscapes. Western Boundary Currents tend to carry heat from the equator poleward, so think back to where we started in this Lesson; everything is driven by differential solar heating. The Gulf Stream, off the southeast United States coast, is one of the strongest currents known anywhere in the world, with water speeds up to 3 mph (5 kph). C change direction and carry storm systems toward the southeast. 1.10 > The world’s large ocean currents are also influenced by the prevailing winds. The currents carry approximately 350 million–700 million cubic feet of water per second. The surface ocean currents have a strong effect on Earth's climate. It is an eastern boundary current similar … On the pathways of the equatorial subsurface currents in the eastern equatorial Pacific and their contributions to the Peru-Chile Undercurrent. Ocean Currents. Currents carry and recycle nutrients that nourish marine … The Gulf Stream flows north, bringing water from the equator up along the East Coast of the United States. Equatorial Currents: Found on either side of the equator, flow to the west. Ocean water moves in predictable ways along the ocean surface. However, these areas do not constantly get warmer and warmer, because the ocean currents and winds transport the heat from the lower latitudes near the equator to higher latitudes near the poles. Fig. Submarine cables are designed to lay on the seabed and are deployed with sufficient slack to enable them to conform to the undulations that are encountered. This would also be drastically affected by the undersea topography. Q5. Cold C. Fresh D. Warm 14. How do ocean currents affect climate? Explore more on it. Ivonne Montes. Along the coast of South America, the most prominent current is the North Brazil Current, which carries very warm water from about 5°N across the equator. Ekman drift causes offshore transport of surface waters, which are then replaced with deep water from below. When the ocean currents that take along warm air go to a land mass, the temperature of that place rises. 9. Lows and highs are illustrated in Wind Figure 5.4. Winds, water density, and tides all drive ocean currents. Winds are the means by which the atmosphere attempts to balance the uneven distribution of pressure over Convergent … Warm equatorial air rises higher into the atmosphere and migrates toward the poles. what it is - the vertical movement of cold, deep, nutrient-rich water to the surface. B. A prominent feature of Eastern Boundary Currents is the presence of upwelling. Depending upon the water temperatures, they may be classified as warm ocean currents or cold ocean currents. Warm ocean currents originate near the equator and move towards the poles or higher latitudes while cold currents originate near the poles or higher latitudes and move towards the tropics or lower latitudes. Tropical Region. What kind of water do equatorial currents carry? Surface Currents. Very little vegetation, except along streams. Another 50 m of water is currently stored in the major ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica. Differences in atmospheric pressure generate winds. When the ocean currents that take along warm air go to a land mass, the temperature of that place rises. The rotation of Earth make the oceans bulge away from the planet. Ocean currents that bring along cold water inland make the climate cold, while ocean currents that take along warm water to coastal areas make the climate warm. Chapter 4: Global Energy Transfer, Atmosphere and Ocean Circulation, Climate. Along the east coasts of the continents, the currents flow from the equator toward the poles. Both the Benguela and Peru Currents originate in the Antarctic Ocean, and bring cold water thru a series of upwellings that carry cold water to the surface. And just as the Coriolis effect deflects winds to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere, it also results in the deflection of major surface ocean currents to the right in the Northern Hemisphere (in a clockwise spiral) and to the … How do ocean currents affect climate? One of the major controlling factors of Radiolaria distribution is water temperature and salinity. When ocean currents that bring cold water move towards a coastal region, the temperature of that area decreases. OCTOBER 22, 2015 -- The data whizzes at NASA recently decided to turn their attention from the sky to the ocean as they attempted to model how ocean currents help drive the formation of the " garbage patches ." Clear B. Global Energy Transfer, Atmosphere, Climate. For example, the Kuroshio current and Gulf streams in North Atlantic and pacific are the fast-moving western boundary currents; Brazil, north pacific, and equatorial are the warm currents. Relatively slow and shallow, it transports only 350,000,000–700,000,000 cu ft (10,000,000–20,000,000 cu m) of water per second. The water starts flowing in the same direction as the wind. Radiolaria appear to be most abundant in warm waters of the equatorial zone. Ocean water is constantly in motion (Figure 14.7). Secondary Forces--influence where the currents flow . Q33. The winds create the surface currents that literally blow the top layer of water of the ocean westward. Types of Ocean Currents: Ocean currents may be classified into a number of types based on different criteria. The Earth is an interacting system of matter and energy, that as part of its functioning produces phenomena like volcanoes, glaciers, mountain ranges, oceans, and continents. Currents in the tropical climate zones carry warm water away from it and currents in the polar climate zones carry cold water away from it. So equatorial currents aren’t deflected right or left -- water can simply flow in a straight direction pushed by the winds. what causes it - (1) surface waters move away from area on ocean's surface, such as along the equator. ... Equatorial Region. In El Niño conditions, the winds propelling the water get weaker and as an outcome, some of the warm water collected in the west is heavily drawn towards the east. Ocean currents are the horizontal and vertical circulation of ocean waters that produce a steady flow of water in a prevailing direction. There are called warm current as they bring the warm tropical water north. These waters carry important nutrients from deeper ocean depths. Ocean currents carry radiolaria from one water mass to another, so that species tend to have variable reproductive success. Abstraction When ocean current carries cold water, the air … Coastal and sea floor features influence their location, direction, and speed. All these currents in the North/South Pacific/Atlantic gyres South Similar to a person trying to walk in a straight line across a spinning merry-go-round, winds and ocean waters get deflected from a straight line path as they … Warm ocean currents are red, and cold currents are shown in blue. Gravity from the moon and the sun pulls more on water at certain times. Winds and ocean currents play a big role in redistributing heat. From NASA. divergence of currents along the geographical equator cause upwelling of cold, nutrient rich water.