Horizontal and vertical ocean currents Ocean currents are horizontal or vertical movement of both surface and deep water throughout the world’s oceans (Briney, n.d.). The primary generating forces are wind and differences in water density caused by variations in temperature and salinity. Currents generated by these forces are modified by factors such as the depth of the water, ocean floor topography and deflection by the rotation of the Earth. Horizontal currents are wind driven, fast moving and carries small amount of water; while, vertical currents are slow moving, density driven and carries large bodies of water. In this paper I will describe horizontal and vertical currents, their importance and some of the tools used to measure ocean currents. Horizontal ocean current or surface ocean current Surface current are found in the upper four hundred meters (400m) and makes up about ten percent (10%) of ocean (Briney, n.d.). Surface ocean currents are as a result of friction between the water and atmosphere interface. The wind exerts a force or stress to the ocean surface and causes the water to move. The winds that most affect the oceans’ currents are the Westerlies which produce belts of ocean currents that flow east in the mid-latitude and the Trade winds which generate currents that flow to the west in tropical latitudes. These winds are mainly a result of warm air from the tropics moving towards the poles. The direction of the current is not the same as the direction of the wind but it is deflected at a forty five degree angle. This deflection is resulted from the earth’s rotation on its axis called the Coriolis force/ effect. Coriolis force and constrains by continental land masses cause surface currents to develop into an alm... ... middle of paper ... ...in a vertical and horizontal direction and have a major impact of life on this planet. Advancement of oceanographic tools provide us with information on ocean currents. References Briney, A. (n.d.). Ocean currents. Retrieved April 20, 2014, from http://geography.about.com/od/physicalgeography/a/oceancurrents.htm Gaines, S., & Airame, S. (2012). Upwelling. Retrieved April 20, 2014, from http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/02quest/background/upwelling/upwelling.html Measuring Ocean Currents. (n.d.) SEOS. Retrieved April 20, 2014, from http://lms.seos-project.eu/learning_modules/oceancurrents/oceancurrents-c06-p01.html Ocean currents. (n.d.). In Water Encyclopedia. Retrieved from http://www. waterencyclopedia.com/Mi-Oc/Ocean-Currents.html Pidwriny, M. (2007). Ocean circulation. Retrieved April 20, 2014, from http://www.eoearth.org/article/Ocean_circulation
coast (as shown in pictures 1 & 2). The area of sea is subject to the
1. Life is more abundant in the North Atlantic than in the Pacific because the ocean area of the North Atlantic is directly in the path of iron-rich dust from the Sahara Desert, which leads to the development of bigger communities of phytoplankton, and in turn plankton, and so on. This fact is related to global warming because someone thought of an idea to fight global warming by putting huge amounts of iron solution into the ocean so that extreme plant growth would occur and these plants would remove enough carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere to counter the negative effects of humans.
In the mid and late of the 15th Century, Europe attained control over the globe’s wind patterns and ocean currents and started creating a European-based...
Subunits-Tides, Waves, Currents, Sea Level and Ice Cap Variations, Environmental and Geologic Implications, systems interactions, Economic and Public Policy issues
Garrison, Tom. "Chapter 12: Coasts." Oceanography: An Invitation to Marine Science. 7th ed. Cengage Learning, 2010. 319+. Print.
The Sun’s radiation heats the upper atmosphere, sending the energy toward the earth’s surface and finally mixes with the planet’s counter-rotational currents, creating jetstream flows. The winds flow over the ocean’s surface creating friction that spawns chops, pushing up the seas forming perfect bands of open ocean swell. Pushed on by gravitational forces, the swells speed away from the winds that they came from, moving across the deeps until they feel the drag of the shallows near the coast. As the swells rise up out of themselves, they peak, curling into the liquid dreams that we surfers ride (Kampton 4).
What do the scientists plan to do to measure Ocean Acidification on this cruise? Scientists plan to measure ocean acidification on this cruise by equipping each mooring line with a ‘CTD’ that measures the water’s conductivity (salinity), temperature, and depth (pressure). In addition to measuring these tracers, each line is equipped with current meters (RCM-8 and ADCPs) that determine both themagnitude and direction of the water flow. Continuous measurements of current velocities, temperature and salinity supply the information needed to construct an annual budget for heat and salt transport through the Strait.
Opening Statement: Forget about exploring outer space, we should concentrate on something a lot closer that we only know a small fraction about - Earth’s oceans.
The Atlantic Ocean has been affected by the recent climate change in the Amazon. The water temperature of the ocean has rose. The temperature of the Atlantic Ocean is being determi...
Since the Earth, and particularly the oceans, is not perfectly rigid, it is stretched out along the line toward the Moon. From our perspective on the Earth's surface, we see two small bulges, one in the direction of the Moon and one directly opposite. The effect is much stronger in the ocean water than in the solid crust, so the water bulges higher. And because the Earth rotates much faster than the Moon moves in its orbit, the bulges move around the Earth about once a day, giving two high tides per day.
Earth is the only planet in the Solar System that has liquid water. The ocean contains ninety seven percent of the earth’s water and covers almost three quarters of the planet. There are four different oceans, the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, and the Arctic. Tides and currents occur in all three of these oceans. Many different kinds of fish and mammals also make their homes in these oceans. All of these oceans are connected to each other in some way. Humans find oceans to be very interesting, beautiful, and exploring.
The thermohaline circulation cycle (THC) delivers heat to the North Atlantic. In the winter the heat from the water is released into the eastward moving air masses like the Gulf Stream, thereby warming much of western and northern Europe. Cooling in the North Atlantic increases the density of the 'upper ocean water' to the point at which it becomes so dense that it sinks to the bottom and flows south towards the Antarctic, forming the 'lower limb' of this conveyor belt of North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW) (1583 Broecker).
...with warm currents or have a general amount of warm water, are more likely to be struck by tropical storms. There is another way that the ocean can change the environment is when tsunamis occur. These large waves move through the ocean and strike the land, but unlike normal waves that recede when they strike land, tsunamis continue miles inland. The ocean cycle is also responsible for the movement of nutrients through the environment. When tides move through the ocean they pull up nutrients that are located at the seafloor. Those nutrients then are moved with currents throughout the world. This is how the Ocean Cycle plays a role in the environment and Earth.