What are the 3 driving factors of surface currents?
Surface currents are controlled by three factors: global winds, the Coriolis effect, and continental deflections.
What is the main driving force for surface ocean currents?
the wind
The major driving force of surface currents is the wind. The winds that drive the Gulf Stream are the Westerlies.
What 4 drives surface currents?
Four Factors That Create Ocean Currents
- Wind. Wind is the single biggest factor in the creation of surface currents.
- Water Density. Another major factor in the creation of currents is water density, caused by the amount of salt in a body of water, and its temperature.
- Ocean Bottom Topography.
- Coriolis Effect.
What are surface currents driven by quizlet?
Surface currents occur at the surface of the ocean and are caused by global winds; the Gulf Stream is an example. Deep currents occur deep in the ocean and are influenced by water density, salinity, and temperature.
What is the main driving force for surface ocean currents quizlet?
1. Wind is the primary driving force of surface currents. The Coriolis effect deflects the currents to the right (Northern Hemisphere) or left (Southern Hemisphere) of their path of motion (the prevailing wind direction). The location of the continents also affects the pattern of surface currents.
What is the primary cause driver of surface currents around the world?
Large-scale surface ocean currents are driven by global wind systems that are fueled by energy from the sun. These currents transfer heat from the tropics to the polar regions, influencing local and global climate.
What drives the surface currents in the oceans?
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 are surface ocean currents driven quizlet?
Both rivers and surface currents are long, moving bodies of water. However, rivers flow because of the pull of gravity, while surface currents are driven by the wind and by the rotation of the Earth. What are three factors that control deep currents? Density, salinity, and temperature; accept also the Coriolis effect.
What is the main cause of surface ocean currents?
Surface currents in the ocean are driven by global wind systems that are fueled by energy from the sun. Currents may also be caused by density differences in water masses due to temperature (thermo) and salinity (haline) variations via a process known as thermohaline circulation.
What is the driving force of ocean currents and atmospheric movement quizlet?
The sun is the driving force of oceanic and atmospheric circulations. It heat the earth unevenly causing convection currents in the air and ocean.
What are the main factors responsible for ocean currents?
Oceanic currents are driven by three main factors:
- The rise and fall of the tides. Tides create a current in the oceans, which are strongest near the shore, and in bays and estuaries along the coast.
- Wind. Winds drive currents that are at or near the ocean’s surface.
- Thermohaline circulation.