Physical & World Geography
Ocean current
Directional mass flow of oceanic water
Overview
An ocean current is a continuous, directed movement of seawater generated by a number of forces acting upon the water, including wind, the Coriolis effect, breaking waves, cabbeling, and temperature and salinity differences. Depth contours, shoreline configurations, and interactions with other currents influence a current's direction and strength. Ocean currents move both horizontally, on scales that can span entire oceans, as well as vertically, with vertical currents playing an important role in the movement of nutrients and gases, such as carbon dioxide, between the surface and the deep ocean.
Source: Wikipedia — Ocean current (CC BY-SA)
Key concepts
How Ocean current connects to the ideas, people and events around it.
Seawater, or sea water, is water from a sea or ocean. On average, seawater in the world's oceans has a salinity of about 3.5%. This means that every kilogram of seawater has approximately 35 grams (1.2 oz) of dissolved salts.
In physics, the Coriolis force is a pseudo-force that acts on objects in motion within a frame of reference that rotates with respect to an inertial frame. In a reference frame with clockwise rotation, the force acts to the left of the motion of the object.
In fluid dynamics and nautical terminology, a break or breaker is a wave with enough energy to "break" at its peak, reaching a critical level at which linear energy transforms into wave turbulence energy with a distinct forward curve.
Cabbeling occurs when two separate water parcels mix to form a third that sinks below both parents. The combined water parcel is denser than the original two water parcels.
Salinity is the saltiness or amount of salt dissolved in a body of water, called saline water. It is usually measured in g/L or g/kg.
A bathymetric chart is a type of isarithmic map that depicts the submerged bathymetry and physiographic features of ocean and sea bottoms.
Upwelling is an oceanographic phenomenon that involves wind-driven motion of dense, cooler, and usually nutrient-rich water from deep water towards the ocean surface. It replaces the warmer and usually nutrient-depleted surface water.
Downwelling is the downward movement of a fluid parcel and its properties within a larger fluid. It is closely related to upwelling, the upward movement of fluid.
Revise Ocean current
Flashcards and a quick quiz, built from this map.
Questions about Ocean current
What is Ocean current?
An ocean current is a continuous, directed movement of seawater generated by a number of forces acting upon the water, including wind, the Coriolis effect, breaking waves, cabbeling, and temperature and salinity differences. Depth contours, shoreline configurations, and interactions with other currents influence a current's direction and strength.
What are the key concepts related to Ocean current?
The main concepts connected to Ocean current include Seawater, Coriolis force, Breaking wave, Cabbeling, Salinity, Bathymetric chart, Upwelling, Downwelling. Each is linked on the map above with its own summary.
Which exams cover Ocean current?
Ocean current is part of Physical & World Geography, which appears in the syllabus of UPSC CSE, UPSC CAPF, NDA, CDS, AFCAT, SSC CGL and 44 more exams.