Currents and what causes them.

Currents are a continuous, directed movement of seawater generated by forces acting upon the flow such as breaking waves, wind, the Coriolis Effect, temperature and salinity differences. It is used to describe the motion of water. Currents aren't just found in the ocean. They can be the rainwater as it flows down the street or the water flowing in a creek or river. Ocean currents are caused by many factors. Tides, wind, temperature and density are all causes of currents. Tides are driven by the gravitational pull of the sun and moon. Tides create ocean currents near the shore which are called tidal currents. Surface currents are caused by wind. They can cause upwelling and that can cause deepsea currents. The surface currents will blow in a certain pattern due to the Coriolis Effect. Winds are able to move the top 400 meters of the ocean. Temperature can affects currents as well. If the temperature increases, density decreases. If the temperature decreases, density increases. The difference in density of cold water versus density of warm water is responsible for ocean currents and upwelling. Warm sea water floats and cold dense water sinks. Ocean tempratures vary across the surface and into depths.

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