Atmospheric Circulation | Ocean Currents Part 1
Atmospheric circulation is an important aspect of ocean currents because the wind is large determinant of the surface ocean currents. It describes the large scale patterns of how air circulates around the globe. The uneven heating of the Earth’s surface results in the air circulating in convection cells. Three convection cells are formed due to the Coriolis Effect, they are the Hadley, Ferrel and Polar cells. These convection cells are the driving forces behind northeast and southeast trade winds in the tropics, the westerlies in the mid-latitudes, and the easterlies near the poles. In the next video in this series we will examine how these winds effect the surface ocean currents.
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The Abyss is an educational video series that explores all aspects of the ocean from weird animal facts to basic oceanographic principles. Join us as we dive in
For more information check out the sources used to make this video:
Townsend, D.W. 2012. Oceanography and Marine Biology: An introduction to Marine Science. Sinauer Associates, Inc. Sunderland, Massachusets, USA. pp 156-171