Higher Atmosphere

Oceanic Circulation Energy is redistributed in the oceans by ocean current The movement of water can result in warm water being transferred to high latitudes, e.g. the North Atlantic Drift and cool water being transferred to low latitudes, e.g. the Canaries Current

The Canaries current heads South from the Canaries towards the Cape Verde Islands and runs south-westerly along the Northwest African Coast. The current direction is still south-westerly through the Cape Verde archipelago, but beyond this area it turns west and northwest and then becomes the Northern Equatorial Current

Factors influencing ocean currents: Uneven heating of surface water in high and low latitudes sets up convection currents which transfer energy Winds cause a frictional drag on large water surfaces i.e. ocean currents tend to follow the prevailing wind directions The Coriolis Force means that currents are deflected to the right in the northern hemisphere and to the left in the southern hemisphere

cont Ocean current direction is modified by the shape of the continents Note: in the Atlantic Ocean the principal warm currents are the Gulf Stream, the North Atlantic Drift and the Brazil Current Cold currents include the Labrador, Canaries and the Benguela currents