OCEAN

CURRENTS:BOUNDARY
CURRENTS
Presented by
Sreekutty Radhakrishnan
FEN-2020-09-008
 OCEAN CURRENTS
• Ocean currents are the continuous , predictable , directional movement of
seawater driven by gravity , wind (Coriolis Effect) , and water density .
• Ocean water moves in two directions : Horizontally and Vertically.
• Horizontal movement are referred to as currents , while vertical movement are
called upwelling's or downwellings .
• The magnitude of the ocean currents ranges from a few centimeters per second
to as much as 4 meters (about 13 feet ) per second .
• The intensity of the ocean currents generally decreases with increasing depth .
• Ocean currents are influence by a two types of forces namely :
1. Primary forces
2. Secondary forces

 The primary forces that influence the currents are :

1. Heating by solar energy .
2. Wind .
3. Gravity .
4. Coriolis force.
 The secondary forces that influence the currents are :
1. Temperature difference
2. Salinity difference
 TYPES OF OCEAN CURRENTS
1. BASED ON DEPTH
Ocean currents may be classified based on their depth as ;
Surface currents
Deep water currents [Thermohaline circulation]
Surface Currents: Constitute about 10% of all the water in the ocean
These waters are the upper 400m of the ocean
Deep Water Currents: it make up the other 90% of the ocean water
These water move around the ocean basins due to the variation in the Density and
Gravity[it is also called Thermohaline circulation]
2.BASED ON TEMPERATURE
Warm Currents
Cold Currents

Warm Currents: it bring warm water in to cold water area and that are usually
observed on the east coast of continents in low and mid latitude[both
hemisphere].
In Northern hemisphere they are found on the west coast of continents in High
latitudes.

Cold Currents: Cold currents bring cold water in to warm water areas .these
currents are usually found on the west coast of the continents in low and middle
latitudes and on the east coast in the higher latitude in Northern Hemisphere
NAMES OF WARM CURRENTS
• Antilles current
• Brazilian current
• North equatorial currents
• Kuroshio current
• North pacific current
• Alaskan current
• Counter equatorial current
• El-Nino current
• South equatorial current
• East Australia current
• Florida current
• Gulf stream
• Rannel current
• Mozambique current
• Agulhas current
• South west monsoon
• Norwegion current
• Irminger current
• Tsushima current
NAMES OF COLD CURRENTS
• Peruvian current
• Oyashio current
• California current
• Antarctica current
• Labrador current
• Canary current
• Beguile current
• Falkland current
• North east monsoon
• Somali current
• Western Australia current
• Eastern Greenland
• Okhotsk current
MAJOR CURRENT SYSTEM IN THREE
OCEANS
NORTH EQUATORIAL CURRENT
• It is significant in pacific and Atlantic ocean current that flows from east to west
• They flow between 10deg north and 20deg north latitude
• In both ocean ,it is separated from the equatorial circulation by the equatorial
countercurrent ,which flow eastward.
SOUTH EQUATORIAL CURRENT
• It is a significant ocean current in the pacific , atlantic , and indian ocean that
flows from east to west.
• They flow between the equator and about 20deg south
• In the pacific and atlantic oceans , it extends across the equator to about 5deg
north
EQUATORIAL COUNTER CURRENT
• It is a eastward flowing current found in the Atlantic , Indian and pacific oceans.
• It is found in between the north equatorial and south equatorial currents at
about 3-10deg northern latitude .
• This counter current replaces the water removed from the eastern side of the
ocean by the northern equatorial and south equatorial current .
• In Indian ocean ,the current reverse seasonally due to the impact of revising
monsoon.
ANTARCTIC CIRCUMPOLAR CURRENT OR WEST WIND DRIFT
• It is an ocean current that flows from west to east around Antarctica
• Ocean currents that flows clockwise around the Antarctic is called the Antarctic
circumpolar current and it is also called west wind drift .
• The Antarctic convergence is associated with this current.
CURRENTS OF THE ATLANTIC OCEAN
NORTHERN HEMISPHERE
SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE
CURRENTS OF THE PACIFIC OCEAN
NORTHERN HEMISPHERE
SOUTHER HEMISPHERE
CURRENTS OF THE INDIAN OCEAN
NORTHERN HEMISPHERE AND SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE
 BOUNDARY
CURRENTS
• Boundary currents flow parallel to the continental margins , usually in north
south direction
• Boundary currents in the western sides of the ocean basins will be strong
• Boundary currents on the eastern sides of the ocean basins will be weak
• The dynamic of the boundary currents are determined by the presence of a
coastline
They fall in to two distinct categories ;
Western boundary currents
Eastern boundary currents
WESTERN BOUNDARY CURRENTS
 They can flowing from the equator to high latitudes regions in the northern and
southern hemisphere .
 These currents are warm , deep , narrow and fast flowing currents
 That form on the west side of the ocean basins due to the western intensification
 They carry warm water from the pole ward
 They are ….
North Atlantic –gulf stream
North pacific –kuroshio
South Atlantic – brazil
South pacific – east Australia
Indian ocean – agulhas
EASTERN BOUNDARY CURRENT
 Eastern boundary currents are relatively shallow , broad and slow flowing .
 They are found in the eastern side of the ocean basins
 They flow from high latitudes towards equator
 These are cold water currents
 They are …….
North Atlantic – canary
North pacific – California
South Atlantic – bengulea
South pacific – Peru
Indian ocean – west Australia
 EFFECT OF OCEAN CURRENTS
Desert formation
Rains
Fishing
Drizzle
Climate
Tropical cyclone
THANK YOU
……….