How the Ocean Moves

Considering all of the factors of why the ocean moves, it can be a difficult subject to understand, so we will try to sum it up.

Tide- Tides are the rhythmic rise and fall of the oceans water. Every day the water slowly rises on the shoreline for about 6 hours. Then it lowers for about 6 hours. Tides are caused mostly by the gravitational pull of the moon on the earth and its waters. The moons gravity pulls the water directly under it, then after 6 hours slowly lets it fall.

Waves- In an ocean wave water moves up and down. The action of an ocean wave is like the waves you can make with a rope dangling from a tree. When you shake the rope waves go up and down. But the rope itself does not move forward. When ocean waves touch land it starts to drag on the bottom causing the wave to move.

Currents- There are two kinds of wind circulation that creates the currents in the ocean. Those two kinds are wind-driven circulation and thermohaline circulation. Wind-driven circulation results from the wind blowing on the ocean's surface. The wind sets the surface into ocean as currents. The currents usually run horizontally. Thermohaline circulation makes vertical currents that flow to the surface to the ocean bottom and back. They usually result in warm temperature and salinity.

(For more information check out our links page under glossary.)

The World of Oceans ~ Ocean Importance ~ Ocean Exploration ~ Animals ~ Plants
Problems Of The Ocean ~ How The Ocean Moves ~ Game ~ Glossary