What process drives surface currents?

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.

What are the 3 things that drive surface currents?

Surface currents are controlled by three factors: global winds, the Coriolis effect, and continental deflections. surface create surface currents in the ocean. Different winds cause currents to flow in different directions. objects from a straight path due to the Earth's rotation.

Which factor drives surface ocean currents quizlet?

Wind direction, the spin of Earth, and differences in temperature contribute to currents. Currents occur at the surface of and deep within the ocean. The Coriolis effect contributes to the direction of current flow. Wind direction, the spin of Earth, and differences in temperature contribute to currents.

How are surface currents driven and how are deep water currents driven?

Deep currents are driven by temperature and water density/salinity. Of course, deep currents impact surface currents, which carry warm water to the poles. Surface currents are also driven by global wind systems fueled by energy from the sun. Factors like wind direction and the Coriolis effect play a role.

What are 4 factors that drive ocean 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.

Mar 13, 2018

What is the main driving force of surface currents quizlet?

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).

What are the two main driving forces of 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.

Feb 26, 2021

What two main factors control the speed and direction of the major ocean surface currents?

What two main factors control the speed and direction of the major ocean surface currents? Prevailing winds and the Coriolis Effect.

How do ocean currents move?

Ocean currents are the continuous, predictable, directional movement of seawater driven by gravity, wind (Coriolis Effect), and water density. Ocean water moves in two directions: horizontally and vertically. Horizontal movements are referred to as currents, while vertical changes are called upwellings or downwellings.

What is the primary force that drives ocean waves?

What is the primary force that drives ocean waves? Waves are most commonly caused by wind. Wind-driven waves or surface waves are created by the friction between wind and surface water. As wind blows across the surface of the ocean or a lake the continual disturbance creates a wave crest.

What are two main factors that influence ocean currents?

The ocean has an interconnected current, or circulation, system powered by wind, tides, the Earth's rotation (Coriolis effect), temperature, salinity, and water density differences. The topography and shape of ocean basins and nearby landmasses also influence ocean currents.

What force generates surface ocean waves?

wind Waves are most commonly caused by wind. Wind-driven waves, or surface waves, are created by the friction between wind and surface water. As wind blows across the surface of the ocean or a lake, the continual disturbance creates a wave crest.

What is the primary driving force of surface ocean currents quizlet?

What is the driving force of currents in the oceans and atmosphere?

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 causes most surface waves?

Waves are most commonly caused by wind. Wind-driven waves, or surface waves, are created by the friction between wind and surface water. As wind blows across the surface of the ocean or a lake, the continual disturbance creates a wave crest.

How does wind control ocean currents?

2:054:33How do ocean currents work? – Jennifer Verduin – YouTubeYouTube

What cause the ocean’s surface currents to move quizlet?

What causes surface currents to move? It is caused by wind action, Earth's spin, and the shape of the continents. Also, the speed, direction, and volume of water can be affected by the uneven heating of the atmosphere. The force of wind blowing over the top of the Earth.

What are surface currents?

Surface currents are driven by global wind systems that are fueled by energy from the sun. These currents bring heat from the tropics to the polar regions; the Gulf Stream, for instance, brings warm water along the eastern coast of the US up to Northern Europe.

What primarily drives the surface ocean currents quizlet?

What primarily drives the surface ocean currents? Coriolis forces.

How does the Coriolis effect influence ocean currents?

The force, called the "Coriolis effect," causes the direction of winds and ocean currents to be deflected. In the Northern Hemisphere, wind and currents are deflected toward the right, in the Southern Hemisphere they are deflected to the left.

What is the driving force of currents in the oceans and atmosphere quizlet?

What is the driving force of oceanic and atmospheric circulations? 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 causes ocean surface waves?

Wind-driven waves, or surface waves, are created by the friction between wind and surface water. As wind blows across the surface of the ocean or a lake, the continual disturbance creates a wave crest. These types of waves are found globally across the open ocean and along the coast.

How are surface waves generated?

Surface waves are typically generated when the source of the earthquake is close to the Earth's surface. As their name suggests, surface waves travel just below the surface of the ground.

How are surface ocean currents driven quizlet?

Surface currents in the ocean are primarily driven by the wind. a ring-like system of ocean currents rotating clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and counterclockwise in the Southern Hemisphere caused by the Coriolis Effect.

What causes ocean surface currents quizlet?

What is the driving force moving ocean surface currents in the open ocean?

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).

What is the major mechanism by which ocean surface waves are generated?

Wind blowing across the surface of the ocean is the major mechanism that generates most ocean surface waves. The movement of two liquids with different densities creates most waves.

How do surface waves travel?

Surface waves travel only through solid media. They are slower-moving than body waves but are much larger and therefore more destructive. The two types of surface waves are named Love waves and Rayleigh waves, after the scientists who identified them.

Which factor causes surface ocean currents quizlet?

What is the main cause of the major surface currents of the world’s oceans quizlet?

ocean currents that occur at or near the surface of the ocean, caused by wind. affected by 3 factors; continental deflections, the coriolis effect, and global winds. when surface currents meet continents, the currents are deflected and change direction. In the Northern Hemisphere, currents are deflected to the right.