The Motion of the Ocean

The sun continually heats our planet, but the heating is unevenly distributed over Earth’s surface. The tropics receive more energy than they emit and the polar regions emit more energy than they receive, creating an imbalance. The temperature difference between warm equatorial waters and cold polar waters, combined with the rotation of the Earth, drives the major currents, including the western boundary currents such as the Gulf Stream.  Winds also blow from areas of high pressure to low pressure, and help to steer ocean currents that transport heat in the ocean from the tropics to the poles. Scientists use model simulations like this one—produced by the Estimating the Circulation and Climate of the Ocean, Phase II (ECCO2)—to help resolve ocean eddies and other narrow-current systems that transport heat (and carbon) in Earth's ocean. In this animation, from March 25, 2007 to March 3, 2008, colors represent sea surface temperatures while the flow lines represent sea surface currents.


For more information: svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/3912
{ -i /svs/db/vis/a000000/a003900/a003912/sst_ecco2_cbar.png }