Question
Name the factors that control the origin of the ocean currents.
Solution
The factors that control the origin of the ocean currents are :
1. Permanent winds or prevailing winds, 2. Variation in temperature, 3. The rotation of the earth, 4. Variation in salinity, 5. The direction of land masses.
The prevailing winds such as trade winds (westerlies) exert one way drag on sea surfaces over vast expanses of oceans. This drag produces a system of drift system.
Difference in density can also set currents in motion and these are described as thermocline currents.
