why does the ocean continuously move?

Question

I know its prob to clean it, but more details please.

Answer 1

Currents exist at all depths in the ocean; in some regions, two or more currents flow in different directions at different depths. Although the current system is complex, ocean currents are driven by two forces: the Sun and the rotation of the Earth.The Gulf Stream is one of the strong ocean currents that carries warm water from the tropics to the higher latitudes. In contrast to the nontechnological methods used to produce early maps of the Gulf Stream, today's remote sensing technology on satellites allows scientists to delineate the current's features and follow changes in its position. (See "Geospatial Technologies" for a satellite image of the Gulf Stream.)

The Sun affects the ocean in two ways. First, it heats the atmosphere, creating winds and moving the sea surface through friction. This tends to drag the water surface along as the wind blows over it. Although the wind strongly affects the surface layer, its influence does not extend much below about 100 meters (325 feet) in depth.

The second effect of the Sun is to alter the density of the ocean surface water directly by changing its temperature and/or its salinity. If water is cooled or becomes saltier through evaporation, it becomes denser. This can result in the water column becoming unstable, setting up density-dependent currents, also known as the thermohaline circulation.

The rotation of the Earth also affects the currents through the Coriolis force. This force causes water to move to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere. It exists because moving ocean water is affected by friction with the Earth only at the seafloor, and because the eastward linear velocity of the earth decreases from a maximum at the equator to zero at the poles (the rotational velocity, however, does not change). A parcel of water at the equator is moving at the same speed as the Earth. If it starts to move north, with no friction, it is then going faster than the Earth beneath it. To conserve momentum (the product of mass and velocity), it consequently moves more to the east as it gets farther from the equator. The Coriolis force therefore increases away from the equator.

Answer 2

Four big reasons:

The Ocean's currents are driven by the following three reasons:

1. Heat. The sun's energy heats up the water in the tropics which causes them to form circulatory patterns such as the gulf stream.

2. Wind. Wind drives a number of ocean currents. (Wind, itself, is driven by heat convection and the sun's energy).

3. The Earth's rotation. This bends the ocean's currents to help for circular patterns.

And the last item:

4. Tides, which are caused by the Moon.

Answer 3

The moon's gravitational force pulls on the oceans, and since the moon is constantly moving relative to the earth, the direction the oceans are being pulled is constantly changing.

Answer 4

is the wind that moves the ocean like that,plus earth is constanly moving too.it brings oxigen and keep it clean.

Answer 5

heating , cooling, Rotation of the earth, friction with the earth, salinity