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The movement of oceanic water on the surface and at the depths in a definite direction is called Ocean current. Ocean currents are in a clockwise motion in the northern hemisphere and in the anti-clockwise motion in the southern hemisphere.
Ocean currents are the key determinants of how temperature is distributed throughout the earth. Thereby it regulates and controls the climatic patterns. Surface water current contributes only \(10\)% of water movement, whereas the deep ocean contributes the remaining \(90\)% of the movement.
Factors generating ocean currents are:
- Earth’s rotation
- Prevailing winds and
- Differences in temperature and salinity of ocean water.
Based on the temperature of the ocean water, the currents are classified as warm currents and cold currents.
- Cold currents are ocean currents that move from higher latitudes to lower latitudes, i.e. from the region of low temperature (poles and temperate zones) to the region of higher temperature (tropical zones).
Example:
Labrador current in the Atlantic Ocean and Peruvian current in the South Pacific Ocean.
- Warm currents move in the opposite direction, i.e. from lower latitudes to higher latitudes.
The NIO (National Institute of Oceanography)
- Established on: 01.01.1966
- Headquarters: Dona Paula, Goa.
- Objective: NIO conducts research and observations to understand Oceanic features, Ocean engineering, Marine Archaeology etc.
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