Ocean Circulation Lindsay Innes and Charity Sonier

The water at the ocean surface is moved primarily by winds that blow in certain patterns because of the Earth’s spin and the Coriolis Effect. Winds are able to move the top 400 meters of the ocean creating surface ocean currents.

Coriolis Effect The Coriolis Effect is the way of explaining the movement of objects (i.e. air, water) around a spinning Earth.

Surface ocean currents flow in a regular pattern, but they are not all the same. Some currents are deep and narrow. Other currents are shallow and wide. Currents are often affected by the shape of the ocean floor. Some move quickly while others move more slowly. A current can also change somewhat in depth and speed over time.

The Moon The Moon effects tides in the ocean. Since water is free flowing, and the moon has a gravitational pull on the Earth, water is always pulled to where the moon is, relative to the Earth, explaining why at some parts of the world the tide is low, while in others the tide is high.

Surface ocean currents can be very large. The Gulf Stream, a surface current in the North Atlantic, carries 4500 times more water than the Mississippi River. Each second, ninety million cubic meters of water is carried past Chesapeake Bay (US) in the Gulf Stream.

Density Currents Thermohaline Circulation Thermo = Tempurature, Haline = Salinity The water at the North and South poles are colder therefore forming ice. When ice forms it leaves behind salt molecules therefore increasing it’s salinity which makes the water denser. The dense water then sinks to the bottom of the ocean therefore making the

Thermohaline Current It takes an average water molecule 1000 years to complete the global conveyer belt Also known as the Global Conveyer Belt, Great Ocean Conveyer Belt

Evaporation also increases salinity. When evaporation occurs, it removes fresh water while leaving behind salty water. The dense water also sinks to the ocean floor. However, this process is not part of Global Conveyor Belt.

Links Kv4SM Thermohaline Circulation Kv4SM mw-1HYFg Billy Nye mw-1HYFg