Tag: movements of ocean water

Waves are most commonly caused by wind. This kind of wave is found globally across the open ocean and along the coast. However, most potential precarious waves are caused by underwater disturbances that displace large amounts of water quickly such as earthquake, underwater volcanic eruption or landslide i.e., slippage of the seafloor along an earthquake fault. These cause very big waves known as tsunamis.

Wave periods: Tides have the longest period (12-24 hours), followed by Tsunamis (minutes to hours), and Wind waves (seconds). Decreasing order: Tides, Tsunami, Wind waves (3, 1, 2).

The tsunami height on the continental shelf is lower for steeper slope in comparison to flatter slope. This shows that, as the continental slope becomes flatter, more energy is transmitted to the shelf and higher tsunami height is observed.

All stream currents are westerly bound currents while California currents are easterly bound currents

Brazil current is the western boundary current of the South Atlantic subtropical gyre. It transports warm water polewards. Near 22 S, the Brazil current splits; one component flows eastward and the other component hugs the coast and flows toward the southwest and interacts with the colder Malvinas Current.

The Gulf Stream, together with its northern extension the North Atlantic Drift is a warm and swift Atlantic ocean current that originates in the Gulf of Mexico and stretches to the tip of Florida, and follows the eastern coastlines of the United States 

The Kuroshio is a north-flowing ocean current on the west side of the North Pacific Ocean. It is similar to the Gulf Stream in the North Atlantic and is part of the North Pacific ocean gyre. As the Gulf stream, it is a strong western boundary current.

California Current is a Pacific Ocean current that moves southward along the western coast of North America, beginning off southern British Columbia and ending off southern Baja California Peninsula. It is considered an Eastern boundary current due to the influence of the North American coastline on its course.

Labrador, Canary, and Benguela are all cold currents. Kuroshio is a warm current.

When cold and warm ocean current meet, the warm ocean current condenses after getting in contact with cold air and it results into fog.

Ocean currents may be cold, warm and hot. Warm ocean currents originate near the equator and move towards the poles or higher latitudes while cold currents originate near the poles or higher latitudes and move towards the tropics or lower latitude.