Major+Surface+Currents

To begin, they are two currents going to the north and south of the equator. These currents are called the North Equatorial Current and the South Equatorial Current. Between these two currents you have a counter current ( a counter current is a current that goes the opossite way) called the Eqatorial Counter Current which goes in a east direction. This is due to interaction with the continents in which the water hits the continents and comes back. The Indian Ocean has a simmilar current like this, but at a much smaller scale. Due to the circulation being tinier allowing the water to heat up faster, it causes monsoons. The Antarctic Circumpolar current is another lateral current and is important because it can move around the entire Earth ( this is because they are no continents in its way) The westerlies are what cause this current, and this currents also promotes water interactions from different oceans like the Indian Ocean or Pacific Ocean. The North Atlantic Gyre (gyres are caused by wind, Coriolis effect, and continental barriers. Gyres are basically convention cells because they distribute heat) begins with the Equatorial Current. This currents goes into the Gulf of Mexico and carries out untill about Florida and Cuba.There it mets with the Gulf Stream, which travels along the side of the U.S.A until it hits Europe, which is when it becomes the North Atlantic current. Then it becomes the Norwegian Current. Then it becomes the Canary Currents and hits the coast of Africa. Then it goes back to the equator and the cycle begins again. All of these of theses currents make the North Atlantic Gyre. The North Pacific Gyre begins at the equatorial current, and then moves along to the Kuroshio current (equivalent to the golf stream). From here it joins with the currents from the Bearing Sea ( The North Pacific Drift) and then comes down along the coast of California ( the California Current). This current system is very important to the world because it is highly affected during the El Nino and La Nina. These currents are important because they help distribute heat and allow the climates of places to stay maintained.

Links: http://www.windows2universe.org/earth/Water/ocean_currents.html http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZP5BtLSU9z4&list=PLF5CE8D2E81E421DD&index=2&feature=plpp_video