How the Ocean Moves – Perpetual Currents

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF OCEAN CURRENTS

1. The general movement of the currents in the northern hemisphere is clockwise and in the southern hemisphere, anti-clockwise except for those currents seen in the northern Indian Ocean. Here, the direction of the currents changes in response to the seasonal change in the direction of monsoon winds.
2. In the lower latitudes, the warm currents flow on the eastern shores and cold on the western shores. The situation is reversed in the higher latitudes—the warm currents move along the western shores and the cold currents along the eastern shores.
3. The warm currents move towards the cold seas and cool currents towards the warm seas.
4. The currents flow not only at the surface but also below the sea surface. Such currents are caused by the differences in salinity and temperature.