Assignment no:4

date:6,7,2020

MOVEMENT OF OCEANS

SUBMITTED TO: PROF .FOZIA

SUBMITTED BY: AMMARA ALTAF

MOVEMENT OF OCEANS:  There are
different types of movements of ocean water under the influence of different
physical characteristics like temperature, salinity, density, etc. Movements of
ocean water are also affected by external forces like the sun, moon and the
winds.

The major movements of the ocean waters can be classified into three. They
are:

1. Waves
2. Tides
3. Ocean Currents

Waves and the ocean currents are horizontal movements of ocean waters
while the tide is a kind of vertical movement of the ocean water.

Waves
 Waves are nothing but the oscillatory movements that result in the
rise and fall of water surface.
 Waves are a kind of horizontal movements of the ocean water.
 They are actually the energy, not the water as such, which moves
across the ocean surface.
 This energy for the waves is provided by the wind.
 In a wave, the movement of each water particle is in a circular manner.
 A wave has two major parts: the raised part is called as the crest while
the low-point is called as the trough.
Tides
 Tide are the periodical rise and fall of the sea levels, once or twice a
day, caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted
by the sun, the moon and the rotation of the earth.
 They are a vertical movement of waters and are different from
movements of ocean water caused by meteorological effects like the
winds and atmospheric pressure changes.
 Note: The water movements which are caused by the meteorological
effects like the said above are called as surges and they are not regular
like tides.
 The moon’s gravitational pull to a great extent is the major cause of the
occurrence of tides (the moon’s gravitational attraction is more effective
on the earth than that of the sun).
 Sun’s gravitational pull and the centrifugal force due to the rotation of
earth are the other forces which act along with the moon’s gravitational
pull.
  The highest tides in the world occur in the Bay of Fundi in Canada.
 When the tide is channeled between islands or into bays and estuaries,
they are termed as Tidal Currents.
 The regular interval between two high or two low tides is 12 hours 25
minutes.

FLOW TIDE AND EBB TIDE

 A flow tide or a flood tide is a rising tide or incoming tide which

results in a high tide.
 It is thus the time period between a low tide and a high tide (i.e., the
rising time).
 Ebb Tide is the receding or outgoing tide. It is the period between
high tide and low tide during which water flows away from the shore.

Types of Tides

A. TIDES BASED ON THE FREQUENCY

1. Semi-diurnal Tide: They are the most common tidal pattern, featuring
two high tides and two low tides each day.
2. Diurnal Tides: Only one high tide and one low tide each day.
3. Mixed Tide: Tides having variations in heights are known as mixed
tides. They generally occur along the west coast of North America.

B. TIDES BASED ON THE SUN, THE MOON, AND THE EARTH’S POSITIONS
1. Spring Tides: When the sun, the moon, and the earth are in a straight line,
the height of the tide will be higher than normal. These are called as a spring
tides. They occur twice in a month-one on the full moon (Poornima) and the
other on the new moon (Amavasya).

2. Neap Tides: Normally after seven days of a spring tide, the sun and the
moon become at a right angle to each other with respect to the earth. Thus,
the gravitational forces of the sun and the moon tend to counteract one
another. The tides during this period will be lower than the normal which are
called as the neap tides. They also occur twice in a month- during the first
quarter moon and the last quarter moon.
Magnitude of Tides
Perigee: When the moon’s orbit is closest to the earth, it is called as perigee.
During this period, unusually high and low tide occur.

Apogee: When the moon’s orbit is farthest from the earth, it is called as
apogee. Tidal ranges will be much less than the average during this period.

Perihelion: It is the position where the earth is closest to the sun (around
January 3rd). Unusual high and low tides occur during this time.

Aphelion: It is the position where the earth is farthest from the sun (around
July 4th). Tidal ranges are much less than the average during this period.
TIDAL BORE

When the leading edge of the incoming tide forms a wave/ waves of water that
travel up a river or a narrow bay against the direction of the river or bay’s
current, it is called as a tidal bore. The Indian rivers like the Ganges,
Brahmaputra, Indus, etc. exhibits tidal bores.

INTER-TIDAL ZONE
The intertidal zone, also known as the foreshore and seashore and
sometimes referred to as the littoral zone, is the area that is above water at
low tide and under water at high tide (i.e., the area between the tide-marks).

Ocean Currents
 The ocean currents are the horizontal flow of a mass of water in a fairly
defined direction over great distances.
 They are just like a river flowing in an ocean.
 Ocean currents can be formed by the winds, density differences in
ocean waters due to differences in temperature and salinity, gravity and
events such as earthquakes.
 The direction of movement of an ocean current is mainly influenced by
the rotation of the earth (due to Coriolis force, most ocean currents in
northern hemisphere move in clockwise manner and ocean
currents in southern hemisphere move in an anti-clockwise
manner).

GYRE, DRIFT, AND STREAM

 Any large system of rotating ocean current, particularly those involved

with large wind movements is called as a Gyre. They are caused by the
Coriolis force.

 When the ocean water moves forward under the influence of prevailing
wind, it is called as Drift (The term ‘drift’ is also used to refer the speed
of an ocean current which is measured in knots). E.g. North Atlantic Drift.
  When a large mass of the ocean water moves in a definite path just like
a large river on the continent, it is called as a Stream. They will have
greater speed than drifts. E.g. Gulf Stream.

Types of Ocean Currents

1. WARM OCEAN CURRENTS:

 Those currents which flow from equatorial regions towards poles which
have a higher surface temperature and are called warm current.
 They bring warm waters to the cold regions.
 They are usually observed on the east coast of the continents in the
lower and middle latitudes of both hemispheres.
 In the northern hemisphere, they are also found on the west coast of the
continents in the higher latitudes (E.g. Alaska and Norwegian Currents).

2. COLD OCEAN CURRENTS:

 Those currents which flow from Polar Regions towards equator have a
lower surface temperature and are called cold currents.
 They bring cold waters into warm areas.
 These currents are usually found on the west coast of the continents in
low and middle latitudes of both hemispheres.
 In the northern hemisphere, they are also found on the east coast in the
higher latitudes (E.g. Labrador, East Greenland and Oyashio currents).

The ocean currents can be also classified as:

1. Surface Currents: They constitute about 10% of all the waters in an

ocean. These waters are occupied at the upper 400m of an ocean or
the Ekman Layer. It is the layer of the ocean water which moves due to
the stress of blowing the wind and this motion is thus called as Ekman
Transport.
2. Deep Water Currents: They constitute about 90% of the ocean water.
They move around the ocean basin due to variations in the density and
gravity.

Reference: Article by: Jijo Sudarsan