Question

State any two factors responsible for causing the currents.

Answer 1

1. Level of Salinity: The density of ocean water increases with its salinity level. As a result, less salinised water flows over more salinised water. For instance, the Atlantic water rushes into the Mediterranean Sea's surface because the Mediterranean Sea is more salinised than the Atlantic.
2. Temperature: Compared to the ocean water in the polar or temperate zones, the oceans close to the Tropics and Equator are significantly warmer. Consequently, cold ocean currents flow towards the Equator as cold ocean currents, whereas warm Equatorial water flows towards the poles as warm currents.