Ocean current

A map of all the large ocean currents of the world.

All the world's currents on a continuous ocean map

An ocean current is a continuous movement of ocean water from one place to another. Ocean currents are created by wind, water temperature, salt content, and the gravity of the moon. The current's direction and speed depend on the shoreline and the ocean floor. They can flow for thousands of miles and are found in all the major oceans of the world. One major example of an ocean current is the Gulf Stream in the Atlantic Ocean. Ocean currents can be found on the water surface and deeper down.

Currents on the surface often depend on wind. They travel clockwise in the northern hemisphere. They travel counterclockwise in the southern hemisphere. They are found up to 400 metres (1,300 ft) below the surface of the ocean.
Deeper currents depend on water pressure, temperature, and salt content.

Major ocean currents of the world

Arctic Ocean

East Greenland Current
Norwegian Current
Beaufort Gyre (water or ice flow)
Transpolar Drift (water or ice flow)

Atlantic Ocean^[1]

Pacific Ocean

Alaska Current
Aleutian Current
California Current
Cromwell current (a deep current)
East Australian Current
Equatorial Counter Current
Humboldt Current (or Peru Current)
Kamchatka Current
Kuroshio Current (or Japan Current, Kuro Siwo)
Mindanao Current
North Equatorial Current
North Pacific Current (or North Pacific Drift)
Oyashio Current (or Oya Siwo)
South Equatorial Current
West Wind Drift

Indian Ocean

Southern Ocean

Ocean Current Media

Distinctive white lines trace the flow of surface currents around the world.
Animation of circulation around ice shelves of Antarctica
The bathymetry of the Kerguelen Plateau in the Southern Ocean governs the course of the Kerguelen deep western boundary current, part of the global network of ocean currents.
Coupling data collected by NASA/JPL by several different satellite-borne sensors, researchers have been able to "break through" the ocean's surface to detect "Meddies" – super-salty warm-water eddies that originate in the Mediterranean Sea and then sink more than a half-mile underwater in the Atlantic Ocean. The Meddies are shown in red in this scientific figure.
RCM-9 or Recording Current Meter. It can go to depths of about 2000 metres and last up to two years on one mission. It records information about currents (speed, direction, depth, temperature).