Ocean Currents and Geographic Regions

Ocean Currents

• Ocean currents are large masses of water that move constantly in the top 100 to 200 meters of the ocean.
• The main causes of ocean currents are:
  • Winds
  • Differences in water temperature
  • The rotation of the Earth
• Water flowing from the equator is warmer than water coming from the poles.
• The temperature of ocean currents impacts the temperature of nearby places.
• Warm currents generally flow along the east coasts of continents, warming the coastlines they pass.
• Cold ocean currents generally flow on the west coasts of continents, cooling the coastlines they pass.
• Examples of currents mentioned in the images:
  • Angola Current
  • Benguela Current
  • Agulhas Current
  • Mozambique Current
  • East Madagascar Current
  • South Equatorial Current