The ocean water is dynamic. Its physical characteristics like temperature, salinity, density and the
external forces like of the sun, moon and the winds influence the movement of ocean water.
The horizontal and vertical motions are common in ocean water bodies.
The horizontal motion refers to the ocean currents and waves.
The vertical motion refers to tides.
Ocean currents are the continuous flow of huge amount of water in a definite direction while the
waves are the horizontal motion of water.
Water moves ahead from one place to another through ocean currents while the water in the waves
does not move, but the wave trains move ahead.
The vertical motion refers to the rise and fall of water in the oceans and seas.
Due to attraction of the sun and the moon, the ocean water is raised up and falls down twice a day.
The upwelling of cold water from subsurface and the sinking of surface water are also forms of
vertical motion of ocean water.
WAVES
Waves are actually the energy, not the water as such, which moves across the ocean surface.
Water particles only travel in a small circle as a wave passes. Wind provides energy to the waves.
Wind causes waves to travel in the ocean and the energy is released on shorelines.
Characteristics of Waves
Wave crest and trough : The highest and lowest
points of a wave are called the crest
and trough respectively.
Wave height: It is the vertical distance from the
bottom of a trough to the top of a crest of a wave.
Wave amplitude : It is one-half of the wave height.
Wave period : It is merely the time interval
between two successive wave crests or troughs as
they pass a fixed point.
CHAPTER 14 MOVEMENTS OF OCEAN WATER
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Wavelength: It is the horizontal distance between two successive crests.
Wave speed : It is the rate at which the wave moves through the water, and is
measured in knots.
Wave frequency: It is the number of waves passing a given point during a one second
time interval.
TIDES
The periodical rise and fall of the sea level, once or twice a day, mainly due to the attraction of the
sun and the moon, is called a tide.
Movement of water caused by meteorological effects (winds and atmospheric pressure changes)
are called surges.
Surges are not regular like tides.
The ‗tide-generating‘ force is the difference between these two forces; i.e. the gravitational
attraction of the moon and the centrifugal force.
On the surface of the earth, the horizontal tide generating forces are more important than the
vertical forces in generating the tidal bulges.
The tidal bulges on wide continental shelves, have greater height. When tidal bulges hit the midoceanic
islands they become low.
The shape of bays and estuaries along a coastline can also magnify the intensity of tides.
Funnel-shaped bays greatly change tidal magnitudes. When the tide is channeled between islands or
into bays and estuaries they are called tidal currents.
Tides of Bay of Fundy, Canada
The highest tides in the world occur
in the Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia,
Canada. The tidal bulge is 15 - 16
m. Because there are two high tides
and two low tides every day
(roughly a 24 hour period); then a
tide must come in within about a
six hour period. As a rough
estimate, the tide rises about 240
cm an hour (1,440 cm divided by 6
hours). If you have walked down a
beach with a steep cliff alongside
(which is common there), make
sure you watch the tides. If you
walk for about an hour and then notice that the tide is coming in, the water will be over your head
before you get back to where you started!
Types of Tides
Tides vary in their frequency, direction and movement from place to place and also from time to
time. Tides may be grouped into various types based on their frequency of occurrence in one day or
24 hours or based on their height.
Tides based on Frequency
Semi-diurnal tide :The most common tidal pattern, featuring two high tides and two low tides each
day. The successive high or low tides are approximately of the same height.
Diurnal tide : There is only one high tide and one low tide during each day. The successive high and
low tides are approximately of the same height.
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Mixed tide : Tides having variations in height are known as mixed tides. These tides generally occur
along the west coast of North America and on many islands of the Pacific Ocean.
Tides based on the Sun, Moon and the Earth Positions The height of rising water (high tide)
varies appreciably depending upon the position of sun and moon with respect to the earth.
Spring tides and neap tides come under this category.
Spring tides : The position of both the sun and the moon in relation to the earth has direct bearing
on tide height. When the sun, the moon and the earth are in a straight line, the height of the tide
will be higher. These are called spring tides and they occur twice a month, one on full moon period
and another during new moon
period.
Neap tides :Normally, there
is a seven day interval
between the spring tides and
neap tides. At this time the
sun and moon are at right
angles to each other and the
forces of the sun and moon
tend to counteract one
another. The Moon‘s
attraction, though more than
twice as strong as the sun‘s,
is diminished by the
counteracting force of the
sun‘s gravitational pull.
Once in a month, when the
moon‘s orbit is closest to the
earth (perigee), unusually
high and low tides occur.
During this time the tidal
range is greater than normal. Two weeks later, when the moon is farthest from earth (apogee), the
moon‘s gravitational force is limited and the tidal ranges are less than their average heights. When
the earth is closest to the sun(perihelion), around 3rd January each year, tidal ranges are also much
greater, with unusually high and unusually low tides. When the earth is farthest from the sun
(aphelion),around 4th July each year, tidal ranges are much less than average. The time between
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the high tide and low tide, when the water level is falling, is called the ebb. The time between the
low tide and high tide, when the tide is rising, is called the flow or flood.
Importance of Tides
Since tides are caused by the earth-moon-sun positions which are known accurately, the tides can
be predicted well in advance. This helps the navigators and fishermen plan their activities. Tidal
flows are of great importance in navigation. Tidal heights are very important, especially harbors
near rivers and within estuaries having shallow ‗bars‘ at the entrance, which prevent ships and boats
from entering into the harbour. Tides are also helpful in desilting the sediments and in removing
polluted water from river estuaries. Tides are used to generate electrical power (in Canada, France,
Russia, and China). A 3 MW tidal power project at Durgaduani in Sunderbans of West Bengal is under
way.
OCEAN CURRENTS
Ocean currents are
like river flow in
oceans. They
represent a regular
volume of water in a
definite path and
direction. Ocean
currents are
influenced by two
types of forces
namely :
(i) primary
forces that initiate
the movement of
water;
(ii) secondary
forces that influence
the currents to flow.
The primary forces that influence the currents are:
(i) heating by solar energy;
(ii) wind; (iii) gravity; (iv) coriolis force.
Heating by solar energy causes the water to expand. That is why, near the equator the ocean water
is about 8 cm higher in level than in the middle latitudes.
This causes a very slight gradient and water tends to flow down the slope.
Wind blowing on the surface of the ocean pushes the water to move.
Friction between the wind and the water surface affects the movement of the water body in its
course. Gravity tends to pull the water down the pile and create gradient variation.
The Coriolis force intervenes and causes the water to move to the right in the northern hemisphere
and to the left in the southern hemisphere. These large accumulations of water and the flow around
them are called Gyres. These produce large circular currents in all the ocean basins.
Characteristics of Ocean Currents
1. Currents are referred to by their ―drift‖.
2. the currents are strongest near the surface and may attain speeds over five knots.
3. At depths, currents are generally slow with speeds less than 0.5 knots.
4. We refer to the speed of a current as its ―drift.‖
5. Drift is measured in terms of knots.
6. The strength of a current refers to the speed of the current. A fast current is considered strong.
7. A current is usually strongest at the surface and decreases in strength (speed) with depth. 8.Most
currents have speeds less than or equal to 5 knots.
9 .Differences in water density affect vertical mobility of ocean currents.
10. Water with high salinity is denser than water with low salinity and in the same way cold water is
denser than warm water.
11. Denser water tends to sink, while relatively lighter water tends to rise.
12. Cold-water ocean currents occur when the cold water at the poles sinks and slowly moves
towards the equator.
Warm-water currents travel out from the equator along the surface, flowing towards the poles to
replace the sinking cold water.
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Types of Ocean Currents
The ocean currents may be classified based on their depth as surface currents and deep water
currents :
(i) surface currents constitute about 10 per cent of all the water in the ocean, these waters are the
upper 400 m of the ocean;
(ii) deep water currents make up the other 90 per cent of the ocean water. These waters move
around the ocean basins due to variations in the density and gravity. Deep waters sink into the deep
ocean basins at high latitudes, where the temperatures are cold enough to cause the density to
increase.
Ocean currents can also be classified based on temperature :
as cold currents and warm currents:
(i)cold currents bring cold water into warm water areas.
These currents are usually found on the west coast of the continents in the low and middle latitudes
(true in both hemispheres) and on the east coast in the higher latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere;
(ii) warm currents bring warm water into cold water areas and are usually observed on the east
coast of continents in the low and middle latitudes (true in both hemispheres). In the northern
hemisphere they are found on the west coasts of continents in high latitudes.
Major Ocean Currents Figure
14.3
1. Major ocean currents are greatly
influenced by the stresses exerted by the
prevailing winds and coriolis force.
2. The oceanic circulation pattern roughly
corresponds to the earth‘s atmospheric
circulation pattern.
3. The air circulation over the oceans in
the middle latitudes is mainly anticyclonic
(more pronounced in the southern
hemisphere than in the northern
hemisphere).
4. The oceanic circulation pattern also corresponds with the same. At higher latitudes, where the
wind flow is mostly cyclonic, the oceanic circulation follows this pattern.
5. In regions of pronounced monsoonal flow, the monsoon winds influence the current movements.
6. Due to the coriolis force, the warm currents from low latitudes tend to move to the right in the
northern hemisphere and to their left in the southern hemisphere.
7. The oceanic circulation transports heat from one latitude belt to another in a manner similar to
the heat transported by the general circulation of the atmosphere. 8. The cold waters of the Arctic
and Antarctic circles move towards warmer water in tropical and equatorial regions, while the warm
waters of the lower latitudes move pole wards.
9. The major currents in the different oceans are shown in the above figure.
Prepare a list of currents which are found in Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Ocean
How is the movement of currents influenced by prevailing winds? Give some examples from
Figure14.3.
Effects of Ocean Currents
Ocean currents have a number of direct and indirect influences on human activities.
1. West coasts of the continents in tropical and subtropical latitudes (except close to the equator)
are bordered by cool waters.
2. Their average temperatures are relatively low with a narrow diurnal and annual ranges.
3. There is fog, but generally the areas are arid.
4. West coasts of the continents in the middle and higher latitudes are bordered by warm waters
which cause a distinct marine climate.
5. They are characterized by cool summers and relatively mild winters with a narrow annual range
of temperatures.
6. Warm currents flow parallel to the east coasts of the continents in tropical and subtropical
latitudes. This results in warm and rainy climates.
7. These areas lie in the western margins of the subtropical anti-cyclones.
8. The mixing of warm and cold currents help to replenish the oxygen and favor the growth of
planktons, the primary food for fish population.
9. The best fishing grounds of the world exist mainly in these mixing zones.