thermohaline currents
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Ocean currents are also called thermohaline currents. Thermo means temperature and haline means salinity, or how much salt is in the water.
Deep water currents move more slowly than surface currents because they're more dense and have more salt in them.
Deep water currents move more slowly than surface currents because they're more dense and have more salt in them.
Ocean surface and deep water currents
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Deep ocean currents are colder, denser currents and surface currents are warm, less dense currents. The salinity and temperature also affects the ocean's currents. Another factor that affects the currents are the continents. the continents deflect the currents and create gyres which are giant "whirpools" in the ocean.
ocean water salinity
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Ocean water salinity varies by temperature and location. The salinity near the equator is greater than at the poles because of a higher temperature. A higher temperature means more salinity because there is more evaporation and salt can not evaporate.
prevailing winds
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There are three main prevailing winds the Westerlies, Trade Winds, and Polar Easterlies . The Westerlies move from west to east, across the middle latitudes (30 degrees north/south to 60 degrees north/south). The Trade Winds or on either side of the equator. Polar Easterlies are 60 degrees north/south to the poles.
ocean currents map
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The ocean's currents are formed my the prevaling winds, the westerlies, polar easterlies, and the trade winds. The continents also affect their path because they block the currents and make them form gyres.
The coriolis eefect
The spinning of the earth (the coriolis effect) that effects the ocean currents. On the different sides of the equator the coriolis effect causes opposite directions of the currents.
Water density *bonus points*
This experiment shows the different densty levels in the different liquids and colors. The denser liquids sink down to the bottom and support the lighter liquids.