On the ocean floor, water masses forced through narrow openings in a ridge system or flowing around a seamount may create currents that are far stronger than in the surrounding water, affecting the distribution and abundance of organisms (as well as the scientists and their equipment seeking to study these organisms!). Earthquakes may also trigger rapid downslope movement of water-saturated sediments, creating strong turbidity currents.įinally, when a current that is moving over a broad area is forced into a confined space, it may become very strong. Occasional events such as huge storms and underwater earthquakes can also trigger serious ocean currents, moving masses of water inland when they reach shallow water and coastlines. The vertical motion of tides near the shore can also cause water to move horizontally, creating what are known as tidal currents. These currents move water masses through the deep ocean, taking nutrients, oxygen, and heat with them. Surface wind-driven currents generate upwelling currents in conjunction with landforms, creating deepwater currents.Ĭurrents 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. 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. Surface currents in the ocean are driven by global wind systems that are fueled by energy from the Sun. ![]() It can also affect marine life, which may need to regulate its intake of saltwater. This can affect the movement of ocean currents. ![]() The density of water at the surface is 1030 k g / m 3 and bulk modulus of water is 2 × 10 9 N / m 2. Salinity can affect the density of ocean water: Water that has higher salinity is denser and heavier and will sink underneath less saline, warmer water. There are two distinct current systems in the ocean-surface circulation, which stirs a relatively thin upper layer of the sea, and deep circulation, which sweeps along the deep-sea floor. Calculate the approximate change in density of water(in k g / m 3) in a lake at a depth of 400 m below the surface. The density of water is roughly 1 gram per milliliter but, this changes with temperature or if there are substances dissolved in it. ![]() Some are short-lived and small, while others are vast flows that take centuries to complete a circuit of the globe. Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and AccessibilityĬurrents are cohesive streams of seawater that circulate through the ocean.
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