OCEAN CURRENT

• A WELL DEFINED CURRENT

EXTENDING OVER A CONSIDERABLE
REGION OF THE OCEAN.
 CAUSES OF OCEAN CURRENT
• 1. WIND
• 2. DENSITY DIFFERENCE.
• 3. UNDER WATER TOPOGRAPHY.
• 4. SHAPE OF BASIN IN WHICH CURRENT
IS RUNNING.
• 5. EXTENT AND LOCATION OF LAND.
• 6. DEFLECTION BY THE ROTATION OF
THE EARTH ( CORIOLIS FORCE )
Surface Currents--Surface Circulation
These waters make up about 10% of all the
water in the ocean.
These waters are the upper 400 meters of
the ocean.
The primary forces are:

1. Solar heating cause water to expand.

Near the equator the water is about 8
centimeters high than in middle latitudes.
This cause a very slight slope and water
wants to flow down the slope.
2. Winds blowing on the surface of the ocean
push the water. Friction is the coupling
between the wind and the water's surface. A
wind blowing for 10 hours across the
ocean will cause the surface waters to
flow at about 2% of the wind speed. Water
will pile up in the direction the wind is blowing.
3. Gravity will tend to pull the water down the
"hill" or pile of water against the pressure
gradient.
4. Coriolis Force intervenes and cause the
water to move to the right (in the northern
hemisphere) around the mound of water.
• Deep Ocean Currents or Thermohaline
circulation
These waters make up the other 90% of the
ocean. These waters move around the
ocean basins by density driven forces and
gravity. The density difference is a function
of different temperatures and salinity.
These deep waters sink into the deep
ocean basins at high latitudes where the
temperatures are cold enough to cause the
density to increase.
Temperature
The
temperature of the water affects its density.
Just as in the atmosphere where cold air is
more dense than warm air, Cold water is
more dense than Warm water.
water Cold water
at the poles will sink and travel along the
ocean floor toward the equator.
equator At the
same time, the warm, less dense equatorial
water moves toward the poles along the
surface.
TIDES DUE TO
DENSITY DIFFERENCE
Salinity Water also becomes denser when
its salt concentration increases.
increases This can
happen when ice forms. When salt water
freezes, salt is left behind increasing the
salinity and therefore the density of the
surrounding water causing it to sink.
sink This
happens at the poles.
TYPES OF OCEAN CURRENT

• 1. STREAM CURRENT – RELATIVELY

NARROW, DEEP AND FAST MOVING
CURRENT.
• EXAMPLE: AGULHAS, KURUSHIO AND
GULF STREAM)
• The Agulhas Current takes its name from
the point of the cape, called Cabo das
Agulhas (or Cape of Needles) . There are
two dominant views on why this name was
chosen. The first claims that the sharp rocks
and reefs offshore were often described
as needles,
needles which combined with the
treacherous currents. This cape also became
known as the Graveyard of Ships.
Ships The
alternative explanation discover that at the
tip of the Cape, the compass needle
points due north with no deviation
between true and magnetic.
magnetic
• The Gulf Stream begins upstream of Cape
Hatteras,
Hatteras where the Florida Current
ceases to follow the continental shelf.
shelf The
position of the Stream as it leaves the coast
changes throughout the year. In the fall, it
shifts north,
north while in the winter and early
spring it shifts south.
south
 Kuroshio Currents
Pronounced (kooroshe´o)
Also called Japan Current or Black Current.
Current
The Kuroshio Current runs off the coast of
Japan. It is a strong and very large warm
surface oceanic current traveling 40 to 121
km/day at 1.6 to 4.8 km/h. At about lat. 35°N
it divides to form an eastern branch flowing
nearly to the Hawaiian Islands and a northern
branch that skirts the coast of Asia and
merges with the waters of the cold Oyashio
Current to form the North Pacific Current.
• 2. DRIFT CURRENT – BROAD, AND SLOW
MOVING CURRENT.
• EXAMPLE: NORTH ATLANTIC DRIFT )
NORTH
ATLANTIC
DRIFT
3. COASTAL CURRENT - Currents that
flows outside the surf zone.
zone
This wave energy is mostly confined to the
top portion of the water. When waves
reach the shore, the tops of the waves
usually "topple"
"topple forming breakers. The
region where breakers usually form is called
the surf zone.
 INSHORE
CURRENT

COASTAL LONGSHORE
CURRENT CURRENT
4. LONGSHORE CURRENT - CURRENT
THAT FLOWS INSIDE THE SURF ZONE
AND RUNNING PARALLEL TO THE
SHORE AS A RESULT OF WAVES
BREAKING AT AN ANGLE TO THE
SHORE. CAN ALSO BE CALLED
LITORAL CURRENT.
CURRENT
5. INSHORE CURRENT – CURRENT
WHICH IS CLOSE TO THE SHORE.
SHORE
THIS IS ALSO THE CURRENT INSIDE
THE SURF ZONE.
ZONE (EXPERIENCE
COUNTER CURRENT)
 INSHORE
CURRENT

COASTAL LONGSHORE
CURRENT CURRENT
• 6. OFFSHORE CURRENT – CURRENT
WITH SOME DISTANCE FROM SHORE.
• CURRENT THAT IS INSIDE THE
SHOALING ZONE.
 LO
C O IN NG
S S HO
OF AS HO R
FS T R E E
HO A L
RE
• 7. PERIODIC CURRENT – SPEED OR
DIRECTION CHANGES CYCLICALLY
AT REGULAR INTERVAL.
INTERVAL
 • SPECIAL CURRENTS
•HYDRAULIC CURRENT – CURRENT IN A
CHANNEL CAUSED BY DIFFERENCE IN
SURFACE LEVEL AT TWO ENDS.
ENDS
STRAIGHT CONNECTING TWO BODIES OF
WATER / TIDE RANGE DIFFER IN TIME.
HYDRAULIC CURRENT
• ROTARY CURRENT – CURRENT THAT
FLOWS CONTINUALLY WITH
DIRECTION OF FLOW CHANGING
THROUGH 360 DEGREES.
DEGREES
.
• RECTILINEAR CURRENT = TIDAL
CURRENT WHICH FLOWS
ALTERNATELY IN APPROXIMATELY
OPPOSITE DIRECTION WITH “SLACK”
WATER AT EACH REVERSAL OF
DIRECTION. ALSO CALLED REVERSING
CURRENT.
REVERSING
CURRENT
• 8. SEASONAL CURRENT – HAS A
LARGE CHANGES IN SPEED OR
DIRECTION DUE TO SEASONAL
CHANGE.
CHANGE
EXAMPLE: NORTHEAST MONSOON
AND SOUTHWEST MONSOON
NORTHEAST MONSOON
SOUTHWEST MONSOON
 OY
AS
LA
CA

HIO
BR
LI

AD
FO

OR
NORTH
RN VI

PACIFIC
DA
IA DS

SARGASO CURREN

IO
GULF SEA

SH
STREAM
O

RU
CANARY
N

KU
MONSOON
H U R EN

BE
CURENT
CU

NG
MB

S
R

HA
A

UE
OL

ILI

UL
LA
AZ
T

AG
T

BR

SOUTH WESTWIND DRIFT

ATLANTIC DRIFT
• 1. Which is not a contributing cause
of ocean currents?
• A. Surface winds
• B. Density differences in the water
• C. Gravitational effects of celestial body
• D. Under water topography
• 2. Which statement(s) concerning the
coriolis force on ocean currents is / are
correct?
• A. The deflection of the current is to the left
in the N. Hemisphere.
• B. The coriolis force is greater in the lower
latitudes
• C. The coriolis force is more effective in
deep water
• D. All of these
• 3. The two most effective generating
forces of the ocean currents are:
• A. Temperature and salinity differences in
the water
• B. Wind and density differences in the water
• C. Water depth and underwater topography
• D. Rotation of the earth and continental
interference
• 4. One of the causes of the ocean
currents is density differences in the
water. This is true because:
• A. In an area of high density the water
surface is lower than in an area of low
density
• B. Surface water flows from an area of high
density to one of low density
• C. The lesser the density gradient the freer
the water is to move
• D. It is the density differences that cause
currents to stay in the troughs.
• 5. In the N. Hemisphere, the major ocean
currents tend to flow:
• A. clockwise around the N. Atlantic and N.
Pacific Ocean
• B. counterclockwise around the N. Atlantic
and N. Pacific Ocean
• C. clockwise or counterclockwise depending
on whether it is warm or cold current
• D. counterclockwise except in the Gulf
Stream
• 6. In the Sargasso, there are large
quantities of the sea weeds and no well
defined currents. This area is located in
the:
• A. Caribbean sea
• B. Central North Atlantic Ocean
• C. Western North Pacific Ocean
• D. Area of the west coast of South America
• The Sargasso sea is part of the North
Atlantic Ocean, lying roughly between the
West Indies and the Azores.
Azores The
Sargasso Sea so named because there is a
kind of seaweed which lazily floats over its
entire expanse called Sargassum.
Sargassum
SARGASSUM
• 7. On a voyage from Halifax, N.S. to
Dakar, West Africa, the Canary Current
will:
• A. Set the vessel to the left
• B. Offer resistance in the form of head
current
• C. Furnish additional thrust in the form of
following current
• D. Set the vessel to the right
• 8. On a voyage from New York to Durban,
South Africa, you could expect the
Agulhas Current to present a strong:
• A. Onshore set
• B. Offshore set
• C. Head current
• D. Following current
• 9. The cold current which meets the
warm Gulf Stream between latitudes 40°
and 43° North to form the cold wall is
called:
• A. North Cape Current
• B. Labrador Current
• C. Greenland Current
• D. North Atlantic Current
• 10. Which of the following currents is
responsible for the movement of
icebergs into the North Atlantic shipping
lanes?
• A. Iceland Current
• B. Baltic Current
• C. Labrador Current
• D. Baffin Current
• 11. On a voyage from Cape town to
London, the favorable ocean current off
the coast of Africa is the:
• A. Canary Current
• B. Benguela Current
• C. Agulhas Current
• D. South Atlantic Current
• 12. The Benguela Current flows in a
_______ direction along the SW coast of
Africa.
• A. Southwesterly
• B. Southerly
• C. Easterly
• D. Northwesterly
• 13. Which current would you encounter
on a direct passage from London to Cape
town?
• A. Falkland Current
• B. Brazil Current
• C. Norway Current
• D. Benguela Current
• 14. The Brazil Current flows in which
direction?
• A. Southwesterly
• B. Northwesterly
• C. Southerly
• D. Northerly
BRAZILIAN
CURRENT

SW
• 15. Which current would you encounter in
a direct passage from South Africa to
Argentina?
• A. South Atlantic
• B. South Equatorial
• C. Agulhas
• D. Guinea
• 16. In which month will the equatorial
countercurrent be strongest?
• A. January
• B. April
• C. August
• D. October
• 17. The Equatorial Countercurrent in the
N. Hemisphere generally sets:
• A. North
• B. East
• C. Southwest
• D. Northwest
• 18. The North Equatorial Current flows:
• A. East
• B. Northeast
• C. Southwest
• D. West
• 19. As the South Current approaches the
coast of Africa, it divides the main part
flowing south to form the warm:
• A. Agulhas Current
• B. Canary Current
• C. Benguela Current
• D. Madagascar Current
• 20. Which of the following current is
“warm” based on the latitude in which it
originates and the effect it has on
climate?
• A. Kuroshio
• B. Benguela Current
• C. Peru Current
• D. California Current
• 21. The North Atlantic Current sets:
• A. Eastward
• B. Westward
• C. Southward
• D. Northward
• 22. The North Pacific Current sets:
• A. Westerly
• B. Easterly
• C. Southerly
• D. Northerly
• 23. The Humboldt current flows in which
direction?
• A. South
• B. East
• C. North
• D. West
• 24. The current that in many respect is
similar to the Gulf Stream is the:
• A. Kuroshio
• B. California Current
• C. Oyashio
• D. Benguela Current
• 25. Cold water flowing southward
through the western part of the Bering
Strait between Alaska and Siberia is
joined by water circulating
counterclockwise in the Bering Sea to
form the:
• A. Alaska Current
• B. Sub-Arctic Current
• C. Kuroshio
• D. Oyashio
• 26. Which of the following currents
flows southward along the west coast of
the United States and is a cause of
extensive fog in that area?
• A. Davidson Current
• B. California Current
• C. North Pacific Current
• D. Alaska Current
• 27. A ship steaming across the North
Pacific from Japan to Seattle is likely to
experience:
• A. Adverse currents for the entire crossing
• B. Favorable currents for the entire crossing
• C. Favorable currents in the summer
months only
• D. Favorable currents in the winter months
only
• 28. Your vessel is in the Kuroshio
Current. In which direction would you
expect to be set?
• A. To the north and east
• B. To the south and east
• C. To the north and west
• D. To the south and west
 29. Indian Ocean currents:
• A. flow toward the west
• B. flow toward the east
• C. are constant in direction
• D. have direction change according to the
monsoons
• 30. The Davidson Current flows____
along the California coast.
• A. Northerly
• B. Southerly
• C. North and South
• D. Southwesterly
• 31. The general rule for major ocean
currents is that they circulate:
• A. In one direction in winter
• B. Clockwise in the N. Hemisphere and
counterclockwise in the S. Hemisphere
• C. Clockwise in summer
• D. Counterclockwise in winter
• 32. You are on a voyage from New
Orleans to Boston. When navigating off
the Florida coast, you will get the
greatest benefit from the Gulf Stream if
you navigate:
• A. About 45 miles east of Cape Canaveral
• B. About 25 miles east of Daytona
• C. Along the 50-fathom curve
• D. Close inshore between Fowey Rocks
and Jupiter inlet
• 33. The current that flows outside the
surf zone is called:
• A. Drift current
• B. Stream current
• C. Coastal current
• D. Long shore current
• 34. When a current flows in the opposite
direction to the waves, the wave:
• A. Length is increased
• B. Height is increased
• C. Velocity increases
• D. Length is unchanged
• 35. The largest waves (heaviest chop)
will usually develop where the wind
blows:
• A. At right angles to the flow of the current
• B. Against the flow of the current
• C. In the same direction as the flow of the
current
• D. Over slack water
• 36. The speed at which an ocean wave
system advances is called:
• A. Wave length
• B. Ripple length
• C. Group velocity
• D. Wave velocity
 37. Waves caused by storms that
continue on without relation to local
winds are called:
• A. Swell
• B. Gravity wave
• C. Sea
• D. Tide rips
• 38. The breaking waves caused by the
meeting of currents or by waves moving
against the current is called:
• A. Eddies
• B. Bore
• C. Swells
• D. Overfalls
TIDE RIPS OR OVERFALLS
 39. The heights of waves depend upon:
• A. speed of the wind
• B. duration of the wind
• C. the fetch of the wind
• D. all of these
• 40. The highest part of a wave is called:
• A. Trough
• B. Crest
• C. Amplitude
• D. Fetch
 WAVE LENGHT
AMPLITUDE
CREST CREST

TROUGH TROUGH
• 41. Swell is the rise and fall of the
ocean’s surface due to:
• A. Fetch
• B. Pull of the moon
• C. Distant winds
• D. Local storms
• 42. The chart of a beach area shows a
very flat slope to the underwater beach
bottom. What type of breakers can be
expected when trying to land a boat on
this beach?
• A. Surging
• B. Plunging
• C. Spilling
• D. Converging
Spilling Breakers occur on beaches with
gentle slopes.
slopes These waves break far from
the shore, and the surf gently rolls over the
front of the wave.
SPILLING BREAKER= VERY FLAT SLOPE
Plunging Breakers happen on beaches where the
slope is moderately steep.
steep This kind of wave
normally curls over forming a tunnel until the wave
breaks. Expert surfers love this type of wave
PLUNGING BREAKERS = MODERATELY STEEP
Surging Breakers happen on beaches where the
slope is very steep.
steep The wave does not actually
break. Instead, it rolls onto the steep beach. These
kinds of breakers are known for their destructive
nature.
SURGING BREAKERS = VERY STEEP SLOPE
• 43. Which of the following should you
expect when you encounter a Tsunami in
the open ocean?
• A. Violent seas from mixed directions
• B. No noticeable change from existing sea
state
• C. Winds increasing to gale from northwest
in the N. Hemisphere
• D. A major wave of extreme height and
length
Tsunami is a series of waves created when a
body of water, such as an ocean is rapidly
displaced on a massive scale. Earthquakes,
mass movements above or below water,
volcanic eruptions and other underwater
explosions, landslides, and large meteorite
impacts all have the potential to generate a
tsunami.
tsunami The effects of a tsunami can range
from unnoticeable to devastating. The term
tsunami comes from the Japanese language
meaning harbour ("tsu", 津) and wave
("nami", 波).
• 44. You are steaming in the open ocean of the
N. Pacific between the Aleutian Chain and
Hawaii. A warning broadcast indicates that an
earthquake has occurred in the Aleutians and
has generated a Tsunami that is predicted to hit
Hawaii. What action is necessary for the ship’s
safety? A.
Calculate the Tsunami’s ETA at your position and
turn to a course that will head into the Tsunami
B. Securely stow all loose gear, check deck
lashings, and prepare for extreme rolls.
C. No special actions as Tsunamis are
inconspicuous in the open ocean
D. Prepare for sudden, high velocity wind gusts
from rapidly changing directions
• 45. You are anchored in the Aleutian
Island chain and receive a word that a
Tsunami is expected to strike the islands
in six hours. What is the safest action?
• A. Get underway and be in deep, open ocean
water when the Tsunami arrives
• B. Increase the scope of the anchor cable and
drop the second anchor under foot at short stay
• C. Get underway and be close inshore on the
side of the island away from the Tsunami
• D. Plant both anchors with about a 60° angle
between them and a long scope to each anchor
• 46. The ocean bottom that extends from
the shoreline out to an area where there is
a marked change in slope to a greater
depth is the:
• A. Abyssal plane
• B. Continental shelf
• C. Borderland
• D. Offshore terrace
• 47. In shallow water, waves that are too
steep to be stable, causing the crests to
move forward faster than the rest of the
wave area called:
• A. Rollers
• B. Breakers
• C. White cups
• D. Surfers
• 48. The time interval between successive
wave crests is called:
• A. Wave period
• B. Wave length
• C. Frequency
• D. Significant wave height
• 49. What is the distance from the bottom
of a wave trough to the top of a wave
crest?
• A. Wave length
• B. Wave height
• C. Wave breadth
• D. Wave depth
• 50. The length of a wave is the length:
• A. of the wave’s crest
• B. of the wave’s trough
• C. measured from crest to trough
• D. measured from crest to crest
• 51. The height of wave crests can be
increased by:
• A. A storm surge
• B. A high pressure area
• C. The jet stream
• D. A cold front
Storm Surge is an onshore gush of water
associated with a low pressure weather
system,
system typically a tropical cyclone. Storm
surge is caused primarily by high winds
pushing on the ocean's surface.
surface The wind
causes the water to pile up higher than the
ordinary sea level.
ACTUAL STORM SURGE
• 52. The steady current circling the
globe at about 60° S is the:
• A. Prevailing Westerly
• B. Sub-Polar Flow
• C. West Wind Drift
• D. Circumpolar Flow
• 53. The velocity of the wind, its steady
direction, and the amount of time it has
blown determines a wind driven
current’s
• A. Temperature
• B. Density
• C. Deflection
• D. Speed
• 54. How long would a steady wind need
to blow in order to create a wind driven
current?
• A. 2 hours
• B. 6 hours
• C. 12 hours
• D. 18 hours
• 55. The height of wave crests can be
increased by:
• A. A storm surge
• B. A high pressure area
• C. The jet stream
• D. A cold front
• 56. Three or four feet of the total height
of a storm surge in a hurricane can be
attributed to:
• A. An in temperature
• B. An increase in the wave period
• C. The wind velocity
• D. The decrease in atmospheric pressure
• 57. Fetch is the:
• A. Distance a wave travel from formation
to decay
• B. Stretch of water over which a wave-
forming wind blows
• C. Time in seconds required for two crests
to pass a given point
• D. Measurement of a wave steepness
• 58. In mid-ocean, the characteristics of a
wave are determined by three factors.
What is NOT one of these factors?
• A. Effects of the moon’s gravity
• B. Fetch
• C. Wind velocity
• D. Length of time a wind has been blowing
• 59. The speed of an ocean current is
dependent on:
• A. The density of the water
• B. The air temperature
• C. The presence of a high pressure area
near it
• D. Underwater soil conditions
• 60. Ocean currents are well-defined and:
• A. Create large waves in the direction of
the current
• B. Change direction 360° during a 24 hour
period
• C. Remain fairly constant in direction and
velocity throughout the year
• D. Are characterized by a light green color
• 61. One of the factors which affects the
circulation of ocean currents is:
• A. Varying densities of water
• B. Humidity
• C. Vessel traffic
• D. The jet stream
• 62. The approximate mean position of
the axis of the Gulf Stream east of Palm
Beach, Florida is:
• A. 35 nautical miles
• B. 25 nautical miles
• C. 15 nautical miles
• D. 5 nautical miles