Ocean circulation (main)

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Ocean circulation


Ocean circulation.jpg
  • Tracking Japanese Tsunami Marine Debris Featured News Article Tracking Japanese Tsunami Marine Debris Tracking Japanese Tsunami Marine Debris
    Debris scatters in the Pacific Ocean, possibly heading to United States. Debris from the tsunami that devastated Japan in March 2011 could reach the United States as early... More »
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TsunamiDebris NOAA.jpg Tracking Japanese Tsunami Marine Debris Last Updated on 2011-12-30 00:00:00 Debris scatters in the Pacific Ocean, possibly heading to United States. Debris from the tsunami that devastated Japan in March 2011 could reach the United States as early as winter 2011-2012, according to predictions by NOAA scientists. Tracking Marine Debris from the Japanese Tsunami Debris from the tsunami that devastated Japan in March could reach the United States as early as this winter, according to predictions by NOAA scientists. However, they warn there is still a large amount of uncertainty over exactly what is still floating, where it's located, where it will go, and when it will arrive. Responders now have a challenging, if not impossible situation on their hands: How do you deal with debris that could now impact U.S. shores, but is difficult to find? See the Video: Tsunami Aftermath: Marine Debris Federal Agencies Join Forces To learn... More »
Ocean Currents.jpg Ocean Currents: Is the Global Conveyor Belt Slowing Down? Last Updated on 2010-12-16 00:00:00 Ocean waters circulate around the globe in established patterns or currents that derive from the following factors: • Differences in solar energy received by the equator and the poles • Topography of the ocean floor and coastal land masses • Changes in seawater density • Rotation of Earth around its axis • Atmospheric winds One major pattern of ocean currents, the so-called Global Conveyor Belt, or Thermohaline circulation, involves the northward flow of warm surface waters from the Caribbean along the Atlantic coast of the United States. This is known as the Gulf Stream. The flow continues across the Atlantic Ocean toward Great Britain, a current called the North Atlantic drift. These warm currents contribute to the higher average temperatures of the East Coast of the United States, Europe, and Scandinavia, which are about 5°C... More »