Final Exam Geology
Patterns of Surface Ocean Currents
Surface currents are found in the upper four hundred meters of an ocean body and they form major patterns such as eddies, upwelling, and gyres (Garrishon, 2007). Surface currents result from wind energy that is concentrated in both north and south hemispheres forming trade winds which are easterlies and westerlies (Garrishon, 2007). Waves on the sea surface transfer some of the energy from the moving air to the water by friction. Pulling of wind on the surface of ocean causes an accumulation of water with the water displaced underneath the wind forming the movement. ...
