How do large-scale winds create surface ocean currents?
Winds push on the sea surface, creating currents. All the major currents of the open ocean are driven by the wind. 29. What is a gyre? Describe the North Atlantic gyre. A gyre is a large, nearly circular system of wind-driven surface currents that center around 30° in both hemispheres. The North Atlantic gyre includes three currents, which flow in a big loop: the Gulf Stream, which flows from south to north along the eastern coast of North America towards northern Europe, the Canary Current, which flows from north to south along the western coast of Europe, and the Northern Equatorial Current, which flows from east to west across the equatorial North Atlantic. 30. Why is water in the ocean usually layered? Because the densest water sinks, the ocean is usually layered or stratified, with the densest water on the bottom and the least dense water at the surface. Deep water is normally cold and dense, whereas surface water is relatively warm and “light.” 31. Describe the three layers of th
