What makes an ocean current warm or cold?

Asked by: Amy Collins

Differences in water density, resulting from the variability of water temperature (thermo) and salinity (haline), also cause ocean currents. This process is known as thermohaline circulation. In cold regions, such as the North Atlantic Ocean, ocean water loses heat to the atmosphere and becomes cold and dense.

What makes a current warm or cold?

You would be swimming into a current colder than the surrounding water — thus a cold current. A warm current is just the reverse. A warm current is moving away from the Equator toward the poles. The water in a warm current is warmer than the surrounding water.

Are ocean currents warm or cold?

This illustration shows the major ocean currents throughout the globe. Ocean currents act as conveyer belts of warm and cold water, sending heat toward the polar regions and helping tropical areas cool off, thus influencing both weather and climate.

What determines the temperature of an ocean current?

The temperature of the ocean, especially the surface, varies from place to place and from season to season. Ocean temperature depends on the amount of solar energy absorbed. Dr Phil Sutton of NIWA works on a CTD (Conductivity Temperature Depth) instrument package used to measure the ocean.

What is ocean cold current?

Temperature of water: 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 causes an ocean current?

Ocean currents are driven by wind, water density differences, and tides. Oceanic currents describe the movement of water from one location to another. Currents are generally measured in meters per second or in knots (1 knot = 1.85 kilometers per hour or 1.15 miles per hour).

What causes ocean currents along the equator to be warm?

Areas near the equator receive more direct solar radiation than areas near the poles. However, these areas do not constantly get warmer and warmer, because the ocean currents and winds transport the heat from the lower latitudes near the equator to higher latitudes near the poles.

How do ocean currents transfer heat?

Ocean currents transfer heat through convection. Convection is the process of heat transfer by the movement of fluids such as water. When warm liquid is forced to travel away from the heat source it carries energy with it.

What are the ocean currents?

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 warm ocean currents?

Warm currents are those that travel from the Equator to the poles and are therefore warmer than the surrounding water. Whereas Cold ocean currents are substantial quantities of cold water moving towards the equator from a high altitude to a low height.

Why are these currents warm?

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 are the ocean currents that carry warm water?

List of Ocean Currents of the World