Ocean Currents Muhammad Ahmed En-10

MUHAMMAD AHMED (EN-10) COASTAL PROCESSES
CE-523
OCEAN CURRENTS
COASTAL PROCESSES
(CE-523)
SUBMITTED BY, TO,
MUHAMMAD AHMED (EN-10) ENGR. SOHAIL BASHIR
OCEAN CURRENTS Page 1 of 25

CE-523
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................. 6
1.1. DEFINITION OF OCEAN CURRENTS .............................................................................. 6
1.2. IMPORTANCE OF OCEAN CURRENTS .......................................................................... 6
1.3. CAUSES OF OCEAN CURRENTS .................................................................................... 6
1.4. EFFECTS OF OCEAN CURRENTS ................................................................................... 7
2 LITERATURE REVIEW ........................................................................................... 8
2.1. FORMATION OF OCEAN CURRENTS ............................................................................ 8
2.2. TYPES OF OCEAN CURRENTS ....................................................................................... 8
2.2.1. SURFACE CURRENTS ......................................................................................................... 8
2.2.2. DEEP WATER CURRENTS .................................................................................................. 9
2.2.3. WARM AND COLD WATER OCEAN CURRENTS ............................................................... 10
2.2.4. RIP OCEAN CURRENTS .................................................................................................... 10
2.2.5. DENSITY CURRENTS ....................................................................................................... 11
3 MATERIAL AND METHOD .................................................................................. 12
3.1. MAJOR OCEAN CURRENTS IN THE WORLD ............................................................... 12
3.1.1. GULF STREAM ................................................................................................................. 12
3.1.2. LABRADOR CURRENT ..................................................................................................... 13
3.1.3. NORTH EQUATORIAL CURRENT ..................................................................................... 14
3.1.4. NORTH EQUATORIAL COUNTER CURRENT .................................................................... 15
3.1.5. SOUTH EQUATORIAL CURRENT ...................................................................................... 15
3.1.6. KUROSHIO CURRENT ...................................................................................................... 16
3.1.7. ALASKA CURRENT ........................................................................................................... 16
3.1.8. CALIFORNIA CURRENT .................................................................................................... 17
3.1.9. NORTH PACIFIC CURRENT .............................................................................................. 18
3.1.10. SOUTHERN PACIFIC GYRE ........................................................................................... 18

CE-523
3.1.11. NORTH ATLANTIC CURRENT ....................................................................................... 19
3.1.12. SOUTH ATLANTIC CURRENT ....................................................................................... 19
3.2. METHODS OF MEASURING OCEAN CURRENTS......................................................... 20
3.2.1. SATELLITE ALTIMETRY (JASON 1 AND 2 AND ENVISAT) ................................................. 20
3.2.2. CURRENT MEASUREMENTS FROM SHIPS ...................................................................... 20
3.2.3. THE ARGO/JASON PROGRAMME ................................................................................... 21
3.2.4. CALCULATING CURRENTS FROM BOTTOM PRESSURE................................................... 21
3.2.5. PLASTIC DRIFT CARDS ..................................................................................................... 21
3.2.6. ACOUSTIC DOPPLER CURRENT METER (ADCP) .............................................................. 21
3.2.7. MEASUREMENTS FROM MOORED BUOYS ..................................................................... 22
3.2.8. ACCIDENTAL DRIFTERS: NIKE TRAINERS AND PLASTIC DUCKS ...................................... 22
3.2.9. COLOURED DYES AND OTHER TRACERS ......................................................................... 22
4 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION ............................................................ 24
REFERENCES .................................................................................................................................. 25

CE-523
LIST OFFIGURES
FIGURE 1: OCEAN CURRENTS ............................................................................................................ 9
FIGURE 2: DEEP WATER CURRENTS .................................................................................................. 9
FIGURE 3: WARM AND COLD WATER OCEAN CURRENTS............................................................... 10
FIGURE 4: FORMATION OF RIP CURRENTS ..................................................................................... 10
FIGURE 5: SEAWATER DENSITY ....................................................................................................... 11
FIGURE 6: GULF STREAM CURRENT ................................................................................................ 13
FIGURE 7: LABRADOR CURRENT ..................................................................................................... 14
FIGURE 8: NORTH EQUATORIAL CURRENT ..................................................................................... 14
FIGURE 9: NORTH EQUATORIAL COUNTER CURRENT .................................................................... 15
FIGURE 10: KUROSHIO CURRENT ...................................................................................................... 16
FIGURE 11: ALASKA CURRENT ........................................................................................................... 17
FIGURE 12: CALIFORNIA CURRENT.................................................................................................... 17
FIGURE 13: NORTH PACIFIC GYRE ..................................................................................................... 18
FIGURE 14: SOUTH PACIFIC GYRE ..................................................................................................... 19
FIGURE 15: STREAM DRIFT CHART OF THE WORLD .......................................................................... 20
FIGURE 16: OCEAN CURRENT MEASURING TECHNIQUES ................................................................ 23

CE-523
LIST OF ACRONYMS AND UNITS

CO2 Carbon Dioxide
% Percentage
Minute
Degree
C Degree Celsius
F Degree Fahrenheit
ADCP Acoustic Doppler Current Meter
CNES Centre National d'tudes Spatiales
E East
EUC Equatorial Undercurrent
Kg Kilogram
m Meter
N North
NADW North Atlantic Deep Water
NEC North Equatorial Current
NECC North Equatorial Countercurrent
RA Radar Altimeters
SEC South Equatorial Current
S South
USA United State of America
W West

CE-523
CHAPTER
1
1 INTRODUCTION
Earth is covered with 71% of water. Out of this around 96.5% is entrapped in oceans. That means
that a large area of earth is governed by water in oceans. For last some centuries, people start taking
interest in what the ocean water consists of and how can it affect us. Oceans actually dragged
attention of experts. When people observed that oceans are getting a hazard for people of the
earth, they start exploring it so that they could minimize the life loss. This took them to the mystery
in movement of water and thus ocean currents derive.
1.1. DEFINITION OF OCEAN CURRENTS
An Ocean Current is a large volume of water flowing in a certain direction. It is a continuous,

directed movement of seawater generated by forces acting upon this mean flow, such as breaking
waves, wind, the Coriolis Effect, cabling, and temperature and salinity differences, while tides are
caused by the gravitational pull of the Sun and Moon.
Some of the ocean currents help in transferring heat from colder areas to hotter ones and maintain
this balance. While some helps oxygen circulation for the aquatic and marine life living in it.
1.2. IMPORTANCE OF OCEAN CURRENTS
Ocean currents help in shaping the features of the earth. The forces of waves influence and form the
physical structure of the coasts. Sand is also distributing by ocean currents to its shore, which
normally consists of small rocks, minerals, plants and animals. All these together form the local
ecosystem of that particular area.
Ocean currents help in maintaining the marine life. Ocean surface is warm on the top and cold in its
lower levels. The upwards movements of its currents brings cold nutrient-rich water from the
depths. Marine life thrives in this water. Many organisms in ocean use ocean currents as a conveyor
belt, spending their larval and adult life in various parts of the ocean, all because of the motion of
currents. This upwelling also supports half of the world fisheries.
1.3. CAUSES OF OCEAN CURRENTS
Ocean currents can be generated by wind, density differences in water masses caused by
temperature and salinity variations, gravity, and events such as earthquakes. Currents are cohesive
streams of seawater that circulate through the ocean. Wind blowing over long distances of ocean
tends to drag surface water along with it. The rotation of the earth causes oceanic wind patterns to
create large circular currents, or gyres. The bending caused by the earths rotation is called the
Coriolis Effect. In the northern hemisphere the gyres flow clockwise, in the southern hemisphere
gyres flow counterclockwise. These large wind driven currents are year-around, constant patterns.
Normal wind and current patterns in the Pacific Ocean create a flow of water near the equator that
moves from the coast of the Americas toward the west. Every few years this pattern of winds and

CE-523
currents change. For reasons that are only beginning to be understood, the Trade Winds die down
and become weak. The westward flowing equatorial current slows and is pushed aside by the
equatorial counter-current running in the opposite direction. This means that lots of warm, nutrient-
poor water moves east along the equator from the western Pacific. This warmer water reaches the
coast of South America, pushing the Peru Current further south.
1.4. EFFECTS OF OCEAN CURRENTS
When a current that is moving over a broad area is forced into a confined space, it may become very
strong. On the ocean floor, water masses forced through narrow openings in a ridge system or
flowing around a seamount may create currents that are far greater than in the surrounding water
affecting the distribution and abundance of organisms as well as the scientists and their equipment
seeking to study them.
Just like the oceans affect weather patterns, they play a major role in the Earth's climate system. The
oceans have tremendous thermal and dynamical inertia, which can slow and dampen the rate of
climate change. The upper ten feet (3 meters) of the ocean holds as much heat as the entire
atmosphere. The moderating effect of ocean temperature reduces the daily and annual range of
coastal temperatures, and results in a lag of the global summer and winter seasonal temperatures
extremes by several weeks behind the annual track of the sun. For the considerably longer
periods(decades to millennia) which are relevant for climate change, the significantly larger heat
capacity of the deep ocean is important. Ocean currents and mixing by winds and waves can
transport and redistribute heat to deeper ocean layers. It can reside in this deep reservoir for
centuries, further stabilizing the Earths climate and slowing the effects of climate change.
The ocean stores and transports not only heat but also carbon dioxide (CO2), a potential major
source of global warming. About half of the total CO2 added to the atmosphere during the past
century by human activity mostly from the use of fossil fuels and deforestation has been absorbed
by the ocean. Most of the CO2 emitted into the atmosphere will eventually be absorbed by the
ocean. However, this process will take several decades to centuries. Phytoplankton also stores
carbon dioxide from the upper layers of the ocean. Many species sequestered CO2 in their carbonate
shells, which eventually sink to the ocean floor for burial or long-term removal from the carbon
cycle.

CE-523
CHAPTER
2
2 LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1. FORMATION OF OCEAN CURRENTS
When speaking of water, the word current refers to the motion of the water. Currents are found in
rivers, ponds, marshes and even swimming pools. Few bodies of water have complicated system of
currents that oceans do, though. Ranging from predictable tidal currents to fickle rip currents, ocean
currents may be driven by tides, winds or differences in density. They profoundly affect the weather,
marine transportation and the cycling of nutrients.
Low temperature and high salinity are the primary driving forces of convection. They pull the dense
water of the Polar Regions downward, which drives a worldwide convection engine called
thermohaline circulation (thermo driven by temperature differences; haline driven by salinity
differences). The cold, salty water submerges primarily in the Labrador and Greenland Seas, and
then flows southward toward the equator and beyond. Although convection only occurs locally in
the Polar Regions, it propels thermohaline circulation, which spans the globe like a giant conveyor
belt. Even the Gulf Stream and its branches are driven by convection and thermohaline circulation.
Although wind also influences the transport of water masses, its contribution is significantly less. The
freezing of water in the polar convection regions also plays a central role. Because ice only contains
about five tenths of a percent salt, it leaves behind a considerable amount of salt in the water when
it freezes, which increases the salinity of the surrounding ocean water and thus increases its density.
The water mass produced by convection in the Arctic is called the North Atlantic Deep Water
(NADW).
2.2. TYPES OF OCEAN CURRENTS
The ocean currents could be of different types depending on the location where they are generating
that is, are they on the surface or in deep water. Further, they could be classified on whether they
carry warm water or cold water.
Following are the major types of ocean currents found in the world:
Surface currents
Deep water currents
Warm and Cold water ocean currents
Rip currents
Density currents
2.2.1. SURFACE CURRENTS
Surface currents as the name says are currents that are formed on the surface of the ocean. The
surface of the ocean covers about 400m below the surface. They can move as fast as 100Km a day.
The prevailing winds influence the formation of these currents and define their direction too.

CE-523
Primarily, they move in horizontal direction. They can also be defined as the frictional drag between
wind and surface of the ocean. Other factors that influence it are friction, distribution of the
continents, Coriolis Effect and gravity. They generally cover 10% of the total currents produced.
Pressure gradients, direct flow meters, etc. are used to measure these currents.
Figure 1: Ocean Currents
2.2.2. DEEP WATER CURRENTS
These currents are more complex to study then surface currents. They cover the area under 400m of
depth in ocean to the ocean bed. It is caused due to the difference in temperature and salinity levels
in water. It does not primarily have horizontal motion like in surface currents; rather they move both
horizontally and vertically. Chemical tracers generally are used to measure these currents.
Figure 2: Deep Water Currents
From above figure it can easily be seen that these currents move in both horizontal and vertical
directions unlike surface currents.

CE-523
2.2.3. WARM AND COLD WATER OCEAN CURRENTS
This motion is caused by a combination of thermohaline currents in the deep ocean and wind
driven currents on the surface. Cold, salty water is dense and sinks to the bottom of
the ocean while warm water is less dense and remains on the surface.
The figure below shows the warm and cold water currents around the world. The red part shows
warm water currents while the blue one are cold water currents.
Figure 3: WARM AND COLD WATER OCEAN CURRENTS
2.2.4. RIP OCEAN CURRENTS
A rip current is a narrow, powerful surface current which flows away from the shore. It is caused by
pressure building up from uneven buildup of water from waves. They can flow very quickly and can
be difficult to detect.
Rip currents are responsible for about 150 deaths every year in the United States. About 80 percent
of all beach rescues are related to rip currents. Rip currents dont pull swimmers under; they flow
out for several miles. If you get caught in a rip current, swim parallel to the shore until you are out of
the current.
Figure 4: Formation of Rip Currents

CE-523
2.2.5. DENSITY CURRENTS
If two liquids of different densities come into contact, then the denser liquid sinks down below the
less dense liquid and flows along the bottom. This is a density current. A density current flows
because of the pull of gravity and the density difference, and it stops moving when the two fluids
mix, or when the current uses up its energy. Sea water (which is salty) is denser than fresh water
because the salt adds material without making the water takes up more space. However, if the fresh
water has a lot of mud mixed into it, then it may be denser than the sea water. Cold water is denser
than hot water, because when water gets hot it expands. The same amount of material takes up
more space, so it is less dense.
Figure 5: Seawater Density

CE-523
CHAPTER
33 MATERIAL AND METHOD
3.1. MAJOR OCEAN CURRENTS IN THE WORLD
Ocean currents in the world could be of warm water or cold water depending upon the location they
are generated at.
Following are some major currents found:
Gulf stream current

Labrador current
North equatorial current
North equatorial counter current
South equatorial current
Kuroshio current
Alaska current
California current
3.1.1. GULF STREAM
The Gulf Stream, together with its northern extension towards Europe, the North Atlantic Drift, is a
powerful, warm, and swift Atlantic Ocean current that originates at the tip of Florida, and follows the
eastern coastlines of the United States and Newfoundland before crossing the Atlantic Ocean. The
process of western intensification causes the Gulf Stream to be a northward accelerating current off
the east coast of North America. At about 400N 300W, it splits in two, with the northern stream
crossing to Northern Europe and the southern stream recirculation off West Africa. The Gulf Stream
influences the climate of the east coast of North America from Florida to Newfoundland, and the
west coast of Europe. Although there has been recent debate, there is consensus that the climate of
Western Europe and Northern Europe is warmer than it would otherwise be due to the North
Atlantic drift, one of the branches from the tail of the Gulf Stream. It is part of the North Atlantic
Gyre. Its presence has led to the development of strong cyclones of all types, both within the
atmosphere and within the ocean. The Gulf Stream is also a significant potential source of renewable
power generation.

CE-523
Figure 6: Gulf Stream Current
3.1.2. LABRADOR CURRENT
The Labrador Current is a cold current in the North Atlantic Ocean which flows from the Arctic Ocean
south along the coast of Labrador and passes around Newfoundland, continuing south along the east
coast of Nova Scotia. It is a continuation of the West Greenland Current and the Baffin Island
Current.
It meets the warm Gulf Stream at the Grand Banks southeast of Newfoundland. The combination of
these two currents produces heavy fogs and also created one of the richest fishing grounds in the
world.
In spring and early summer, this current transports icebergs from the glaciers of Greenland
southwards into the trans-Atlantic shipping lanes. The waters of the Labrador Current have a cooling
effect on the Canadian Atlantic provinces and USA upper Northeast coast from Maine south to
Massachusetts.
The Labrador Current has a tendency to sometimes go farther south and/or east than normal. This
can produce hazardous shipping conditions as it can carry icebergs into an area of the Atlantic where
they are not usually found. The current has been known to transport icebergs as far south as
Bermuda and as far east as the Azores. The International Ice Patrol was set up to track icebergs,
including those found in areas of the ocean where they are rarely located.

CE-523
Figure 7: Labrador Current
3.1.3. NORTH EQUATORIAL CURRENT
The North Equatorial Current is a significant Pacific and Atlantic Ocean current that flows east to
west between about 10 north and 20 north. It is the southern side of a clockwise subtropical gyre.
Despite its name, the North Equatorial Current is not connected to the equator. In both oceans, it is
separated from the equatorial circulation by the Equatorial (also known as the North Equatorial
Countercurrent), which flows eastward. The westward surface flow at the equator in both oceans is
part of the South.
Figure 8: North Equatorial Current

CE-523
3.1.4. NORTH EQUATORIAL COUNTER CURRENT
The Equatorial Counter Current is an eastward moving, wind-driven flowing 10-15m deep current
found in the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans. More often called the North Equatorial
Countercurrent (NECC), this current flows west-to-east at about 3-10N in the Atlantic and Pacific
basins, between the North Equatorial Current (NEC) and the South Equatorial Current (SEC). The
NECC is not to be confused with the Equatorial Undercurrent (EUC) that flows eastward at the
equator but at some depth. In the Indian Ocean, circulation is dominated by the impact of the
reversing Asian monsoon winds. As such, the current tends to reverse hemispheres seasonally in
that basin. The NECC has a pronounced seasonal cycle in the Atlantic and Pacific, reaching maximum
strength in late boreal summer and fall and minimum strength in late boreal winter and spring.
Furthermore, the NECC in the Atlantic disappears in late winter and early spring.
Figure 9: North Equatorial Counter Current
3.1.5. SOUTH EQUATORIAL CURRENT
The South Equatorial Current is a significant Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Ocean current that flows
east-to-west between the equator and about 20south. In the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, it extends
across the equator to about 5north.
Within the southern hemisphere, the South Equatorial Current is the westward limb of the very large
scale subtropical gyres. These gyres are driven by the combination of trade winds in the tropics and
westerly winds that are found south of about 30South, through a rather complicated process that
includes current intensification.
On the equator, the South Equatorial Current is driven directly by the trade winds which blow from
east to west. In the Indian Ocean, the westward flowing South Equatorial Current is well developed
only south of the equator. Directly on the equator, the winds reverse twice a year due to the
monsoons, and so the surface current can be either eastward or westward.

CE-523
3.1.6. KUROSHIO CURRENT
The Kuroshio "Black Tide", "Japan Current" is a north-flowing ocean current on the west side of the
North Pacific. It is similar to the Gulf Stream in the North Atlantic and is part of the North Pacific
Ocean gyre. Like the Gulf Stream, it is a strong western boundary current. It begins off the east coast
of Taiwan and flows northeastward past Japan, where it merges with the easterly drift of the North
Pacific Current. It is analogous to the Gulf Stream in the Atlantic Ocean, transporting warm, tropical
water northward toward the polar region.
Figure 10: Kuroshio Current
3.1.7. ALASKA CURRENT
The Alaska Current is a southwestern warm-water current along the coast of British Columbia and
the Alaska Panhandle. The current results from the northward diversion of a portion of the North
Pacific Current when that current meets the west coast of the North American continent it forms a
part of the counterclockwise gyre in the Gulf of Alaska. In contrast to typical sub-Arctic Pacific water,

CE-523
Alaska Current water is characterized by temperatures above 39F (4C) and surface salinities below
32.6 parts per thousand.
Figure 11: Alaska Current
3.1.8. CALIFORNIA CURRENT
The California Current is a Pacific Ocean current that moves southward along the western coast of
North America, beginning off southern British Columbia, and ending off southern Baja California. It is
one of five major coastal currents affiliated with upwelling zones, the others being the Humboldt
Current, the Canary Current, the Benguela Current, and the Somali Current.
Figure 12: California Current

CE-523
3.1.9. NORTH PACIFIC CURRENT
The North Pacific Current (sometimes referred to as the North Pacific Drift) is a slow warm water
current that flows west-to-east between 40 and 50 north in the Pacific Ocean. The current forms
the southern part of the North Pacific Sub-polar Gyre. The North Pacific Current is formed by the
collision of the Kuroshio Current, running northward off the coast of Japan, and the Oyashio Current,
which is a cold subarctic current that flows south and circulates counterclockwise along the western
North Pacific Ocean. The North Pacific Current forms the northern part of the North Pacific
Subtropical Gyre. In the eastern North Pacific near southern British Columbia, it splits into the
southward California Current and the northward Alaska Current.
Figure 13: North Pacific Gyre
3.1.10. SOUTHERN PACIFIC GYRE
The Southern Pacific Gyre is part of the Earths system of rotating ocean currents, bounded by
equator to the north, Australia to the west, the Antarctic Circumpolar Current to the south, and
South America to the east. The center of the South Pacific Gyre is the site on Earth farthest from any
continents and productive ocean regions and is regarded as Earths largest oceanic desert.

CE-523
Figure 14: South Pacific Gyre
3.1.11. NORTH ATLANTIC CURRENT
North Atlantic Current, also called North Atlantic Drift, part of a clockwise-setting ocean-current
system in the North Atlantic Ocean, extending from southeast of the Grand Bank, off Newfoundland,
Canada, to the Norwegian Sea, off northwestern Europe. It constitutes the northeastward extension
of the Gulf Stream; the latter issues from the Gulf of Mexico and gradually emerges as the North
Atlantic Current in mid-ocean. It is composed of several broad currents with speeds of about 0.2
knots, as compared with the Gulf Streams rather concentrated flow at 1 to 6 knots.
3.1.12. SOUTH ATLANTIC CURRENT
South Atlantic Current is an eastward ocean current, fed by the Brazil Current. The fraction which
reaches the African coast feeds the Benguela Current. It is continuous with the northern edge of the
West Wind Drift.

CE-523
The seafaring is usually easier and thus safer in area of the South Atlantic Current than in the West
Wind Drift, though also slower.
Figure 15: Stream Drift Chart of the World
3.2. METHODS OF MEASURING OCEAN CURRENTS
Measurements of ocean current are collected using a variety of methods. These includes,
3.2.1. SATELLITE ALTIMETRY (JASON 1 AND 2 AND ENVISAT)
The Envisat and Jason satellites both carry radar altimeters, RA-2 and CNES Poseidon-3 Altimeter
respectively. These sensors work by transmitting a pulse of microwaves towards the Earth's surface
and then measuring the time taken for the pulse to return. This data allows Oceanographers to
calculate the height of the ocean and subsequently speed and direction. This allows us to build up
invaluable knowledge about surface and surface affecting, ocean currents on a global scale over a
long time period.
3.2.2. CURRENT MEASUREMENTS FROM SHIPS
Although satellite data can tell us a lot about how the oceans change with time, even the very best
cannot tell us what is happening deeper in the ocean. To look at this oceanographers use floats,
ships and moorings. Scientists go to sea aboard ships for long periods of time to look at surface and
deep currents (among other things).
In the old days oceanographers used to rely on data recorded by ships as they drifted while sailing to
calculate currents. This data was recorded by Navy vessels all over the world and is still used in some

CE-523
oceanography research today. Ship drift data is our longest time series for ocean current data,
Satellites and floats have not been around that long.
Today researches vessels are used to measure currents from hull fitted Acoustic Doppler current
profilers and frequently deploy other methods of measuring ocean currents making them a core part
of Oceanographic research.
3.2.3. THE ARGO/JASON PROGRAMME
An Argo float is about 1.1 m tall, weighs about 25 kg and can operate at up to 2000 m depth, they
last about 4-5 years. The float is capable of adjusting its buoyancy to float with the current and
measures temperature, salinity and depth. The floats surfaces every 7-10 days to transmit data to
satellites, when they do we can record where they have been and look at the properties of the water
that they have travelled in. This allows us to derive a great deal of information about ocean currents.
(The program is called Argo to complement the Jason satellites as Argo was the boat the Jason sailed
in with his Argonauts.)
3.2.4. CALCULATING CURRENTS FROM BOTTOM PRESSURE
Pressure sensors can be used to study large-scale ocean currents indirectly. The pressure at the
bottom of the ocean is determined by the mass above it. Where ocean currents and surface winds
move water above the pressure sensor the pressures change. This allows us to determine sea level
and hence where water will flow from and too.
It is also interesting to note that as of 2009 the GRACE satellite mission is starting to generate good
views of ocean bottom pressure.
3.2.5. PLASTIC DRIFT CARDS
Drift cards are usually used to track relatively local currents. An organization has biodegradable
cards printed that are thrown into the ocean at a set point. When these wash up and people find
them they can be put in the post or their location logged online so researchers know where they
were found.
Oceanographers then know how long the card took to arrive and can use this to, for example, model
how pollution (e.g. oil) or non-native plant species would spread with the current.
3.2.6. ACOUSTIC DOPPLER CURRENT METER (ADCP)
An acoustic Doppler current profiler or ADCP is used to measure how fast water is moving through
the whole water column. They can be used in several ways. An ADCP may be towed behind a ship,
moored or anchored to the seabed ('looking' up to the sea surface). They can also be fixed
horizontally to measure the current across a (relatively) small body of water.
ADCP works by sending out a pulse of sonar and listening for a return. This return comes from
particles in the water, if the particles are moving it is subject to Doppler shift. The amount of shift
can be used to calculate the speed and direction that the water is travelling; giving us detailed
localized current information.

CE-523
3.2.7. MEASUREMENTS FROM MOORED BUOYS
We can moor current meters to buoys to measure the flow and direction of water past the sensor.
This can give use surface information and we can also attach further instruments down the cable to
measure at various depths. In addition there is a piece of equipment called a moored profiler that
can climb up and down the mooring cables measuring the whole range of salinity, temperature and
current.
Moored floats can also be used that listen for fixed sonar pulse and record local conditions, these
moored floats can provide high quality long term data about currents. They are especially good for
studying boundary currents and eddy systems.
Surface buoys have the disadvantage that they are very vulnerable to ships, and surface weather
that may damage or disrupt the buoy whereas shallow subsurface moorings may fall victim to fishing
vessels. For deep areas or places where we require high detail long-term data sets these
technologies are invaluable
3.2.8. ACCIDENTAL DRIFTERS: NIKE TRAINERS AND PLASTIC DUCKS
In May 1990 a storm south of Alaska knocked 21 containers off the Hansa Carrier, a container ship
on its way from Korea to the USA. Five containers broke open, releasing some 61,000 trainers and
boots into the north Pacific.
These shoes all had an individual serial number, listed in the ships logs. As such this was the largest
known release of numbered drifters into the ocean, 2.6% of the shoes were recovered and used to
help improve oceanographic models.
The rubber ducks were another story again, though in a similar vein.
3.2.9. COLOURED DYES AND OTHER TRACERS
From an oceanographic perspective a dye is a kind of tracer. We regard anything that allows us to
monitor an ocean process that would otherwise be invisible to be a tracer. It is possible to uses dyes
to measure local surface currents. The dye is released into the water and its spread can be watched,
in person, by plane, water sample or sometimes even by satellite.
However, there are many other less visible ways in which we can use tracers to monitor the ocean.
Oceanographers can track bodies of water by their salinity, potential temperature, oxygen, carbon
dioxide and nutrient loads. We can also look at the spread of phytoplankton blooms and river
discharge. It is even possible to use radioactive isotopes to track a body of water by taking samples
and looking at the water chemical composition. Even an oil spill can serve as a tracer.
It is worth noting that tracking water with tracers is not necessarily simple. Bodies of water interact
and mix and biological organisms may use or release components from or to the water. However,
these parameters are still a very good tool for studying currents in the ocean.

CE-523
Figure 16: OceanCurrent Measuring Techniques

CE-523
CHAPTER
4
4 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
Knowledge of ocean currents is essential to the shipping and fishing industries and is helpful for
search and rescue operations, hazardous material cleanups and recreational swimming and boating.
Using a combination of predicted and real-time measurements of current patterns, boaters can
safely dock and undock boats, rescuers can determine where a missing person may drift, cleanup
crews can anticipate where spills might go and surfers can position themselves to catch the perfect
wave.
Ocean currents are used as alternative energy, to reduce shipping costs, or in their natural to state
to move species and weather worldwide, they are significant to geographers, meteorologists, and
other scientists because they have a tremendous impact on the globe and earth-atmosphere
relations.

CE-523
REFERENCES:
Gleick, P. H., 1996: Water resources. In Encyclopedia of Climate and Weather, ed. by S. H. Schneider,
Oxford University Press, New York, vol. 2, pp.817-823.
http://www.seos-project.eu/modules/oceancurrents/oceancurrents-c00-p01.html
http://www.gesamp.org/data/gesamp/files/media/Publications/Reports_and_studies_79/gallery_1
060/object_1060_large.pdf
http://msi.nga.mil/MSISiteContent/StaticFiles/NAV_PUBS/APN/Chapt-32.pdf
http://oceancurrents.rsmas.miami.edu/
http://iprc.soest.hawaii.edu/users/xie/schott-RG09.pdf
http://www.citeulike.org/group/11419/article/5676714
http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/facts/currents.html
http://geography.about.com/od/physicalgeography/a/oceancurrents.htm
http://www.usc.edu/org/cosee-west/PDFs_010107/MovingWater8thGstudent.pdf
https://water.usgs.gov/edu/watercycleoceans.html

Ocean Currents Muhammad Ahmed En-10

Încărcat de

Informații document

Titlu original

Drepturi de autor

Formate disponibile

Partajați acest document

Partajați sau inserați document

Opțiuni de partajare

Vi se pare util acest document?

Este necorespunzător acest conținut?

Drepturi de autor:

Formate disponibile

Ocean Currents Muhammad Ahmed En-10

Încărcat de

Drepturi de autor:

Formate disponibile

MUHAMMAD AHMED (EN-10) COASTAL PROCESSES

SUBMITTED BY, TO,

MUHAMMAD AHMED (EN-10) ENGR. SOHAIL BASHIR

OCEAN CURRENTS Page 1 of 25

1.1. DEFINITION OF OCEAN CURRENTS .............................................................................. 6

1.2. IMPORTANCE OF OCEAN CURRENTS .......................................................................... 6

1.3. CAUSES OF OCEAN CURRENTS .................................................................................... 6

1.4. EFFECTS OF OCEAN CURRENTS ................................................................................... 7

2 LITERATURE REVIEW ........................................................................................... 8

2.1. FORMATION OF OCEAN CURRENTS ............................................................................ 8

2.2. TYPES OF OCEAN CURRENTS ....................................................................................... 8

2.2.1. SURFACE CURRENTS ......................................................................................................... 8

2.2.2. DEEP WATER CURRENTS .................................................................................................. 9

2.2.3. WARM AND COLD WATER OCEAN CURRENTS ............................................................... 10

2.2.4. RIP OCEAN CURRENTS .................................................................................................... 10

2.2.5. DENSITY CURRENTS ....................................................................................................... 11

3 MATERIAL AND METHOD .................................................................................. 12

3.1. MAJOR OCEAN CURRENTS IN THE WORLD ............................................................... 12

3.1.1. GULF STREAM ................................................................................................................. 12

3.1.2. LABRADOR CURRENT ..................................................................................................... 13

3.1.3. NORTH EQUATORIAL CURRENT ..................................................................................... 14

3.1.4. NORTH EQUATORIAL COUNTER CURRENT .................................................................... 15

3.1.5. SOUTH EQUATORIAL CURRENT ...................................................................................... 15

3.1.6. KUROSHIO CURRENT ...................................................................................................... 16

3.1.7. ALASKA CURRENT ........................................................................................................... 16

3.1.8. CALIFORNIA CURRENT .................................................................................................... 17

3.1.9. NORTH PACIFIC CURRENT .............................................................................................. 18

3.1.10. SOUTHERN PACIFIC GYRE ........................................................................................... 18

OCEAN CURRENTS Page 2 of 25

3.1.11. NORTH ATLANTIC CURRENT ....................................................................................... 19

3.1.12. SOUTH ATLANTIC CURRENT ....................................................................................... 19

3.2. METHODS OF MEASURING OCEAN CURRENTS......................................................... 20

3.2.1. SATELLITE ALTIMETRY (JASON 1 AND 2 AND ENVISAT) ................................................. 20

3.2.2. CURRENT MEASUREMENTS FROM SHIPS ...................................................................... 20

3.2.3. THE ARGO/JASON PROGRAMME ................................................................................... 21

3.2.4. CALCULATING CURRENTS FROM BOTTOM PRESSURE................................................... 21

3.2.5. PLASTIC DRIFT CARDS ..................................................................................................... 21

3.2.6. ACOUSTIC DOPPLER CURRENT METER (ADCP) .............................................................. 21

3.2.7. MEASUREMENTS FROM MOORED BUOYS ..................................................................... 22

3.2.8. ACCIDENTAL DRIFTERS: NIKE TRAINERS AND PLASTIC DUCKS ...................................... 22

3.2.9. COLOURED DYES AND OTHER TRACERS ......................................................................... 22

4 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION ............................................................ 24

OCEAN CURRENTS Page 3 of 25

OCEAN CURRENTS Page 4 of 25

LIST OF ACRONYMS AND UNITS

ADCP Acoustic Doppler Current Meter

CNES Centre National d'tudes Spatiales

EUC Equatorial Undercurrent

NADW North Atlantic Deep Water

NEC North Equatorial Current

NECC North Equatorial Countercurrent

SEC South Equatorial Current

USA United State of America

OCEAN CURRENTS Page 5 of 25

1.1. DEFINITION OF OCEAN CURRENTS

An Ocean Current is a large volume of water flowing in a certain direction. It is a continuous,

1.2. IMPORTANCE OF OCEAN CURRENTS

1.3. CAUSES OF OCEAN CURRENTS

OCEAN CURRENTS Page 6 of 25

1.4. EFFECTS OF OCEAN CURRENTS

OCEAN CURRENTS Page 7 of 25

2.1. FORMATION OF OCEAN CURRENTS

2.2. TYPES OF OCEAN CURRENTS