Where do warm and cold currents move?
Cold-water ocean currents occur when the cold water at the poles sinks and slowly moves towards the equator. Warm-water currents travel out from the equator along the surface, flowing towards the poles to replace the sinking cold water.
What makes warm surface currents move?
Surface currents in the ocean are driven by global wind systems that are fueled by energy from the sun. Patterns of surface currents are determined by wind direction, Coriolis forces from the Earth’s rotation, and the position of landforms that interact with the currents.
How do currents move warm and cool air?
As the Earth’s surface is heated, it warms the air just above it. The warmed air expands and becomes lighter than the surrounding air. It rises, creating a warm air current. Cooler, heavier air then pushes in to replace the warm air, forming a cool air current.
How do surface currents move?
Tides contribute to coastal currents that travel short distances. Major surface ocean currents in the open ocean, however, are set in motion by the wind, which drags on the surface of the water as it blows. The water starts flowing in the same direction as the wind. But currents do not simply track the wind.
How do cold currents move?
Think of cold currents as currents moving toward the Equator. These waters are colder than the water they are moving into. A warm current is moving away from the Equator toward the poles. The water in a warm current is warmer than the surrounding water.
What happens when warm and cold currents meet?
This is because air above the warm currents is warm which contains water vapour. When this warm current meet the cold current, the air above the cold current, causes the water vapour of the warm current to condense into tiny particles which form fog.
What causes the warm and cold water to move in the patterns?
This water movement is driven by convection: The movement of water due to differences in temperature. Because the warm water is lighter than the cold water and wants to expand, it moves into the upper cup through the hole.
Why do warm currents flow away from the equator?
Because the Earth’s equator is warmed by the most direct rays of the Sun, air at the equator is hotter than air further north or south. This hotter air rises up at the equator and as colder air moves in to take its place, winds begin to blow and push the ocean into waves and currents.
What happens when warm and cold currents meet how is it important for fisheries?
Answer: Some of the world’s most productive fishing grounds are located where warm and cold currents converge. For example, where Labrador current (cold) and Gulf stream (warm) meet, a dense fog is there and it is one of the richest fishing grounds of the world. When they meet the food of fishes is formed.
Why are some currents warm and others cold?
The cold currents often form when the air on the subtropical high blows over a cold mass of water, then the cold air is dragged to the equator. Warm currents, on the other hand, are large masses of warm water moving further away from the equator, at higher temperatures.
Why are currents different temperatures?
Deep ocean currents Differences in water density, resulting from the variability of water temperature (thermo) and salinity (haline), also cause ocean currents. In cold regions, such as the North Atlantic Ocean, ocean water loses heat to the atmosphere and becomes cold and dense.
What happens when warm and cold currents meet how is it important for the fisheries?
How are warm currents and cold currents formed?
Cold currents are formed when the air circulating the eastern side of the subtropical high is blown over cold water mass and are then dragged toward the equator. Warm currents are masses of warm water with higher temperatures moving away from the equator.
How does wind affect the direction of ocean currents?
Wind can also move water, and the Earth’s rotation adds a direction, but the main factors in the ocean’s strongest and most stable currents are temperature, salinity and density. The intensity of the sun controls the ocean’s temperature at the surface. Warm water is less dense than cold water.
How are cold ocean currents related to the tropics?
Cold ocean currents are masses of cold water moving from high latitude towards the equator absorbing the heat received in the tropics thus cooling the air above. Cold currents are formed when the air circulating the eastern side of the subtropical high is blown over cold water mass and are then dragged toward the equator.
How do deep water currents move across the globe?
Deep water currents move slowly and predictably across the globe in a cyclical system often called the “Global Conveyor Belt.” The water takes some detours, but in general, the currents follow a consistent pattern.