Skip to main content

Major ocean currents and how they affect global temperatures

Image
By

Hi everyone,

This week we're talking about ocean currents. Ocean currents are part of the ocean's circulation system and influence local and global weather patterns. They are produced by gravity, differences in water density, winds on the ocean surface and Earth's rotation on its own axis. They cause the movements and exchanges of different ocean properties such as salinity, temperature and nutrients. Ocean currents can flow at speeds of up to 4m per second however most flow at speeds between 5cm and 50cm per second. Weather patterns and ocean currents constantly influence one another. Ocean currents follow similar paths as global wind do, transferring heat from the equator to polar regions. They create and influence ecosystems worldwide, especially marine ones. However they also spread plastics and microplastics around the world far from their original source. This system of ocean currents is often referred to as a global conveyor belt. Today we're going to look at six major ocean currents.


Gulf Stream

The Gulf Stream is caused by movement of water in the Gulf of Mexico. It flows from the Caribbean up the eastern coast of the USA, before crossing the Atlantic and flowing towards the western coast of Europe. It is a warm surface current, meaning that it transports warm water to northeastern USA and into the Atlantic. As it reaches higher latitudes, it cools and the water sinks before flowing back towards the tropics. This current regulates the temperature in the North Atlantic region and causes milder winters in Western Europe. 
Gulf Stream

California Current

This current flows from the arctic, down the west coast of the USA and towards the equator. Arctic waters are known to be very rich in nutrients, so this cold, nutrient-rich current flows southwards and has a significant effect on local ecosystems. It is vital for many sea creatures especially marine mammals such as dolphins and whales.

California Current

Kuroshio Current

The Kuroshio Current is caused by movements in western Pacific waters as the sun heats the ocean. This warm water flows up the east coast of Japan. It regulates the temperature in the North Pacific region and leads to milder winters in Japan and some other East Asian countries. It also serves as a migration route for many species.
Kuroshio Current


Agulhas Current

This current flows southwards down the East coast of Africa. It impacts the temperatures across the Indian Ocean Region and transports warmer water towards South Africa. This leads to higher temperatures in southeastern Africa. This current is also an important migration route.

Antarctic Circumpolar Current

The Antarctic Circumpolar Current is a cold surface current around Antarctica. It also transports cold water to the tropics. This current regulates the temperature of the Southern Ocean region and the coastal areas of Antarctica. 
Antarctic Circumpolar Current

Thermohaline Circulation

The Thermohaline Circulation is a global deep current. It's caused by differences in water density. Transporting warm water to the poles and cold water to the tropics, it affects surface temperatures worldwide and distributes heat and nutrients.
Thermohaline Circulation

We hope you enjoyed learning about different ocean currents and how they affect global temperatures. We'll be back next week!

Your Green World Blog Team💚


Sources:

Images:
Gulf Stream: Georges Clerc-Rampal, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
California Current: Cormorant24, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Kuroshio Current: Frank Geerlings, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
Antarctic Circumpolar Current: NASA, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Thermohaline Circulation: Brisbane, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The environmental impact of the paper industry - is paper really the solution?

By
Hello everyone, First of all: Merry Christmas or Hannukah! I hope you are all enjoying your holidays and this special time of year. Today we'll be looking into the paper industry because lots of people are arguing about whether paper bags are better than plastic ones. We looked into it for you, enjoy! Acid rain In the production of pulp and paper, nitrogen oxides (NO X ) and sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ) are produced. Both of these are contributors to acid rain, which is not quite as terrible as it sounds but still quite bad. Acid rain is rain, fog, snow or hail that is acidic. It's formed by NO X  & SO 2 reacting with water and oxygen which will turn them into nitrous acid (HNO 2 ), nitric acid (HNO 3 ) & sulfuric acid (H 2 SO 4 ), meaning that instead of rain being formed from just water, it is instead also mixed with acid. While acid rain won't harm you, it can harm aquatic ecosystems and forests. When the rain falls on water, it w...
Post a Comment
Read more

Ecosia

By
We all need to do something to save our planet: it is no use just leaving it to Greta Thunberg! She is very inspirational, yes, but she can only do so much. She isn't superhuman! The climate crisis is up to us; up to you. We all have to get stuck in. Research, learn, discover and most importantly: never give up! The world's animals need us. The world's trees need us and a simple way to do this is to switch to Ecosia. Ecosia is a search engine but it plants trees while you search the web. Okay, it doesn't have as many websites as google so you may want to have google as a backup but it plants trees: this is your opportunity to make a simple change. Just google Ecosia and search to plant trees. Make a difference. Image: This image  is owned by  Binyamin Mellish on  pexels.com .
Post a Comment
Read more

16.08.2020 Animal of the week: Elephant

By
Hello. On the 12th of August it was International Elephant Day, so we decided that this week's post should be about elephants. Elephants are the largest living land mammals. There are three types of elephant; the African bush elephant; the African forest elephant and the Asian elephant. African elephants have larger ears, whereas Asian elephants have smaller ears. Elephants use their trunks to breath, bring food and drink to their mouths and to grasp objects. Elephants' legs are like pillars. They carry the Elephant's massive weight. African bush elephants weigh 6000kg, Asian elephants weigh 4000kg and African forest elephants weigh 2700kg. Basically, they are very heavy.Elephants eat grasses, small plants, bushes, fruit, twigs, tree bark, and roots. Elephants can live up to 70 years old in the wild. They communicate by sight, touch and smell. Sadly, these wonderful mammals are in danger. African elephants are listed as vulne...
Post a Comment
Read more

The life of ... a koala

By
Hello everyone, Today we're talking about koalas. Also known as koala bears, koalas are marsupials. So they're actually not bears. Koalas, phascolarctos cinereus , are tree dwelling and probably best known for spending most of the day sleeping. They live for up to 15 years in the wild although captive koalas generally live for longer. Koalas have a stout, gray body and a cream-coloured chest. They have a broad face, small yellow eyes and big fluffy ears. In adaptation to climbing, their feet are strong and clawed. Adult individuals in South Australia weigh 14kg and are 60-84cm big. Their Eastern cousins are considerably smaller. Koalas are found in Eastern and Southern Australia, where they live in eucalyptus trees. They feed on the leaves of these eucalyptus trees, eating up to 1.3kg a day. With a body weight of up to 14kg, this means they eat just under 10% of their body weight every single day. However, the le...
Post a Comment
Read more

Animals 46-50 in our '50 incredible animals' series

By
Hi everyone! Welcome to the final part in our '50 Incredible Animal series' where you can find out about animals 46-50. We started this series almost a year ago to celebrate our 50th post and it feels crazy to think that we are now nearing our 100th. To read all of the previous posts from this series, click here . Hope you enjoy it! 46. Spiny bush viper Spiny bush vipers, Atheris hispida, are a species of venomous snake native to Central and East Africa in tropical forests and shrubland. They are mostly solitary creatures but can climb trees, which is where they find the majority of their prey. Spiny bush vipers are carnivorous and feed on mammals, frogs and lizards, as well as birds. Independent from birth, Spiny bush vipers can have up to 12 'snakelets' at a time and are 15cm in length. Currently, there are no known threats to Spiny bush vipers, and they are categorized as Not Evaluated on the IUCN Red List. 47. Leafy sea dragon ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Announcement: Galápagos Islands

By
Post a Comment
Read more

El Niño & La Niña - what are they and what effects do they have?

By
Hello everyone, You've probably heard of El Niño and La Niña before. Especially El Niño has been discussed a lot recently in the media. El Niño and La Niña are part of a climate pattern found in the Pacific Ocean that occurs roughly every two to seven years. However there is no real regularity or predictability further into the future. They affect global weather patterns and economies. So first of all, let's cover what is actually happening here. In normal circumstances trade winds blow across the Pacific from South America to Asia. This pushes warm water from South America to Asia meaning that the ocean is a lot cooler off the west coast of the Americas compared to the east coast of Asia. The cold water off the coast of the Americas comes from the ocean's depths and is filled with nutrients. During El Niño those driving trade winds become weaker or even stop entirely. Scientists haven't work...
Post a Comment
Read more

Ecotourism: what it is, the advantages and the disadvantages

By
Hi Everyone! Today we wanted to talk about the idea of ecotourism, including the advantages and disadvantages of this concept. If you are looking to reduce your environmental and social impact when travelling, then this is the post for you! Ecotourism is a form of tourism which limits the damage to the environment and local community. It can involve helping in community projects such as planting trees, as well as taking part in local customs and festivals. It helps to keep the local culture alive, while preserving the natural environment.  The advantages are abundant. By helping in a project conserving the environment, tourists gain a new understanding and appreciation for the natural world and may be inspired to make changes in their "real" life to live more sustainably. It provides a valuable insight to a country and community, perhaps also inspiring more respect for different people and the lives they lead. The projects also provide sustainable income sources for locals, h...
Post a Comment
Read more

Ways to help make your household environmentally friendly

By
We have told you a bit about the problems that the environment is facing in previous posts but we haven’t told you how to help the environment around the house. You don’t even need a garden to make a difference! Ways to help stop global warming Tip 1: Turn the lights off when you leave a room. Tip 2: Walk or cycle on short journeys. Tip 3:  Don’t have the windows open and the heaters on at the same time. Tip 4: Never leave your engine running Tip 5: If you can, buy an electric car as these produce less Co2.   Ways to help stop plastic pollution  Tip 1: Buy a water bottle. It seems simple but every year the UK uses an estimated 13 billion plastic bottles. Tip 2: Use a bar of soap and a bar of shampoo instead of shower gel and bottled shampoo. Some say soap can dry your skin out but if you do your research you can find plastic-free high-quality soap, perhaps at a price but it depends on where you get it from. Tip 3: Make...
1 comment
Read more