answersLogoWhite

0

There is an interaction between winds and waves, but what drives global winds is the flow of solar heat from one area of the Earth to another.

The general form is from the tropics to the cooler latitudes, but there are several mechanisms at work in large cells at various latitudes. However, the general motion of high pressure systems (anticyclones of cooler, denser air) is to the south and east in the northern hemisphere, as in the Siberian highs that impact weather in North America.

User Avatar

Wiki User

12y ago

What else can I help you with?

Continue Learning about Natural Sciences

What other than wind causes ocean currents?

Ocean currents can also be influenced by temperature differences in the water, the rotation of the Earth (Coriolis effect), the shape of the coastlines, and differences in water density due to salinity variations. These factors all play a role in driving and shaping ocean currents around the world.


How does uneven heating of the earth cause ocean currents?

Uneven heating of the Earth's surface by the sun leads to temperature differences in the atmosphere and ocean. This temperature variance creates areas of high and low pressure, which in turn drive wind patterns. Wind patterns then influence the movement of surface ocean waters, creating ocean currents.


What is the main cause of surface currents in earth's ocean?

Surface currents in the Earth's oceans are mainly caused by the combination of the wind and the rotation of the Earth (Coriolis effect). The wind pushes the surface water, creating movement, and the Coriolis effect deflects this movement to create currents.


Are ocean currents similar to wind currents?

Yes, ocean currents are similar to wind currents in that they both move in specific patterns and directions due to various factors like temperature, pressure, and the Earth's rotation. However, ocean currents are driven by a combination of factors including wind, temperature, salinity, and the shape of the ocean floor, while wind currents are driven primarily by differences in atmospheric pressure.


What is the primary source of energy for ocean currents and waves?

Ocean currents at the SURFACE -- their primary cause is SOLAR ENERGY. Due to solar energy, much of the wind pattern originates and this wind pattern in turn causes ocean currents on the surface.

Related Questions

Why did the ocean-going sailboats depend on ocean currents?

currents provide movement in times of little to no wind


How would you describe a wave?

A movement of water cause by currents and wind.


What is the primary cause of surface ocean currents?

Wind


What is the difference between wind and currents?

Wind refers to the movement of air in the atmosphere, while currents refer to the movement of water in the ocean. Wind is generated by temperature and pressure differences in the atmosphere, while ocean currents are influenced by factors such as temperature, salinity, and the Earth's rotation. Both wind and currents play important roles in shaping weather patterns and distributing heat around the Earth.


What four factors cause ocean currents?

The four factors that cause ocean currents: (1) Planet rotation, (2) Wind, (3) Density of the water (depends on temperature and salinity), and (4) Gravitation of the moon and earth. Direction and strength depends on the shape of the shoreline, depth and shape of the bottom, and other currents.


What are Poland's ocean currents?

Pland has heavy and very cold wind currents sometime they cause CRAZY!!!! Storms.


What is directly related to deep ocean current?

Movement of the ocean, or tides are directly related to deep ocean currents. Deep ocean currents are also responsible for the wind that causes the waves to crash into the shore.


What effects does the surface-wind pattern have on the circulation of the oceans?

The movement of wind over the surface of the ocean causes friction. The wind drags the ocean surface with it, making the pattern called surface-ocean wind-drift currents.


What is the relationship between the movement of the atmosphere and the movement of surface current?

Surface currents are driven by a combination of factors, including wind patterns created by the movement of the atmosphere. Wind blowing over the surface of the ocean generates friction, causing water to move in the direction of the wind. This creates surface currents that can influence weather patterns and ocean circulation.


Ocean and wind currents are both caused by?

uneven insolation


What other than wind causes ocean currents?

Ocean currents can also be influenced by temperature differences in the water, the rotation of the Earth (Coriolis effect), the shape of the coastlines, and differences in water density due to salinity variations. These factors all play a role in driving and shaping ocean currents around the world.


How does uneven heating of the earth cause ocean currents?

Uneven heating of the Earth's surface by the sun leads to temperature differences in the atmosphere and ocean. This temperature variance creates areas of high and low pressure, which in turn drive wind patterns. Wind patterns then influence the movement of surface ocean waters, creating ocean currents.