Keywords:
- Current direction,
- Naming,
- current movement,
- Cold Current,
- Warm current,
- North Atlantic equatorial current,
- Canary current Africa,
- Benguela current,
- The Sargasso Sea,
- Brazil Current,
Answer:
The movement of Ocean water from one location to another location is done by current, waves, tides, and tsunamis. Ocean current is the most prominent phenomenon of ocean movement in a definite direction. It is caused mainly by winds and differences in the density of water.
The following are the general characteristics of the ocean current:
- Naming: If the current is moving west to east, it will be called easterly current. It is caused by westerly's winds.
- The depth of the ocean current is not more than 1 km.
- The current velocity is measured by Ekman spirals.
- Current deflect right in the northern hemisphere and left in the southern hemisphere.
- The following are two types of ocean current:
- Horizontal current
- Vertical current
- The vertical movement of ocean current is called upwelling. Upwelling of water means the bottom cools and saline water comes up on the surface.
- The motion of oceanic current in the form of circular motion is called gyres.
- Ocean current can be cold or warm current.
- The coastal climate is influenced by cold and warm currents.
- The World's hotspot of fishing grounds is found in areas where cold and warm currents meet.
- Ocean currents help in the transportation of surplus heat from low latitude to higher latitude.
- The warm current comes from the equatorial region and the cold current comes from the polar region.
The Atlantic ocean is the second largest ocean after the Pacific ocean. It is named after the Atlas mountain of Morocco, Africa.
Atlantic ocean can be divided into two types:
Atlantic ocean can be divided into two types:
- Northern Atlantic ocean from north of the equator to the Arctic circle.
- Southern Atlantic ocean; from south of the equator to Antarctica circle.
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| currents of the Atlantic ocean |
The following are currently in the northern Atlantic ocean:
- North Atlantic equatorial current.
- Direction- Westerly Current(East to West)
- Warm Current
- Yucatan current:
- Flow on Brazil coast
- Direction-North West direction
- Warm Current
- Florida current:
- Flow in Mexico
- Direction-North direction
- Warm Current
- Gulf current
- Flow on the eastern coast of the USA.
- Direction-North East direction
- Warm Current
- North Atlantic Drift Current
- Direction-North East direction
- Warm Current
- Canary current
- Flow on the west of Africa.
- Direction-South direction
- Cold Current
- It helped in the formation of the Sahara Desert
- The Sargasso Sea, the sea without coast is found in mid of the northern Atlantic ocean.
The following are currently in the southern Atlantic.
- South Atlantic equatorial current
- Direction- Westerly Current(East to West)
- Warm Current
- Brazil current
- Flow on Brazil coast
- Direction-South direction
- Warm Current
- Antarctica circle polar current
- Direction: Eastern Current( from west to east)
- Cold Current
- Benguela current
- Flow on the western side of Africa
- Direction: Northern Current( from west to east)
- Cold Current
- It helped in the formation of the Kalahari desert
Try to solve the following questions:
- Pointing out the general characteristics of ocean currents, examine the currents of the Atlantic ocean. ( UPPSC / UPPCS, 2019, 15 Marks)
- महासागरीय धाराओं की सामान्य विशेषताओं को इंगित करते हुए, अटलांटिक महासागर की धाराओं की परीक्षा कीजिये.
- Illustrate the origin and nature of the Sargasso Sea and Lagoon. (UPSC 2014, 150 words, 10 marks)
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