In which direction do air currents move at the equator?

In which direction do air currents move at the equator?

In the tropics, near the equator, warm air rises. When it gets about 10-15 km (6-9 miles) above the Earth surface it starts to flow away from the equator and towards the poles. Air that rose just north of the equator flows north. Air that rose just south of the equator flows south.

Do warm currents flow towards or away from the equator?

A warm current is just the reverse. A warm current is moving away from the Equator toward the poles. The water in a warm current is warmer than the surrounding water.

What direction do most surface currents north of the equator move?

The major surface currents are pictured below (Figure below). They flow in a clockwise direction in the Northern Hemisphere.

Do surface currents cross the equator?

They’re only about four kilometers (13,000 feet) deep at most, and surface currents can be just a few hundred meters thick. As with gas and vapor currents on other planets, they tend to move in an east-west direction. These currents have trouble crossing the equator, but they can.

Which direction do air currents move in the Southern Hemisphere?

left
The Earth’s rotation on its axis prevents air currents from flowing directly north and south from the equator. Instead, these air currents are deflected to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere, a phenomenon called the Coriolis Effect.

Which way does the current flow in the Atlantic Ocean?

Surface currents The current moves along the U.S. East Coast across the Atlantic Ocean towards Europe. The heat from the Gulf Stream keeps much of Northern Europe significantly warmer than other places equally as far north.

What current flows from equator to poles?

Warm currents. Explanation: The currents which flow from equator to poles are warmer than the currents which flow from poles to equator.

Which type of current is located near the equator?

Equatorial current, ocean current flowing westward near the equator, predominantly controlled by the winds.

What direction do most surface currents south of the equator move?

Wind or water that travels toward the poles from the equator is deflected to the east, while wind or water that travels toward the equator from the poles gets bent to the west. The Coriolis effect bends the direction of surface currents to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and left in the Southern Hemisphere.

Where do surface currents flow?

Surface currents form gyres roughly centered in each ocean basin. Viewed from above, currents in these subtropical gyres flow in a clockwise direction in the Northern Hemisphere and a counterclockwise direction in the Southern Hemisphere.

In which direction the ocean currents flow in the mid latitudes and near the equator?

These currents meet and slowly flow eastward in the Doldrums forming Equatorial Counter-Currents. At mid latitudes, currents moving eastward under the influence of the prevailing westerlies may also strike a continental barrier where they are primarily deflected toward the right (left) in the northern hemisphere.

What currents cross the equator?

More often called the North Equatorial Countercurrent (NECC), this current flows west-to-east at about 3-10°N in the Atlantic, Indian Ocean and Pacific basins, between the North Equatorial Current (NEC) and the South Equatorial Current (SEC).

Which is the direction of the surface currents?

Water in the surface currents is pushed in the direction of the major wind belts: trade winds: east to west between the equator and 30 degrees North and 30 degrees South. westerlies: west to east in the middle latitudes.

Where is the equatorial current in the ocean?

Equatorial current, ocean currentflowing westward near the equator, predominantly controlled by the winds.

How are the currents in the ocean set in motion?

Major surface ocean currents in the open ocean, however, are set in motion by the wind, which drags on the surface of the water as it blows. The water starts flowing in the same direction as the wind. But currents do not simply track the wind.

How big are surface currents in the ocean?

Ocean water moves in predictable ways along the ocean surface. Surface currents can flow for thousands of kilometers and can reach depths of hundreds of meters.