<p>Yes, a major factor in ocean currents is the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780750645522100071#s0120" rel="noreferrer">geostrophic balance</a>, where Coriolis forces balance pressure gradient forces.  In the northern hemisphere, Coriolis-driven currents flow clockwise around areas of high pressure, such as where the sea surface height is elevated.  This sustains currents like the subtropical north Atlantic gyre.</p>
<p>The Coriolis effect plays into several other processes, such as the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780750645522100071#s0180" rel="noreferrer">Sverdrup balance</a>, which contributes to western boundary currents, and the more general process of <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780750645522100071#s0090" rel="noreferrer">Ekman transport</a>.  Convergent or divergent Ekman transport, driven by wind stress curl, produces sea surface height anomalies (by &quot;piling up&quot;, or moving apart, water at the surface) and thus geostrophic currents.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-02-26T19:16:47.590Z
2024-02-26T19:16:47.590Z
damp_civil
<p>Yes, the Coriolis effect does impact some of the oceanic currents. One related phenomenon is the <em>western intensification</em> that is leading to the <em>western boudaries currents</em>.</p>
<p>You can find more on wikipedia : <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boundary_current#Western_intensification" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boundary_current#Western_intensification</a>.</p>
<p>An eastern-flowing current (~ like a jet current) will also form if there is a significant extension of the eastern boundary ( i.e. a continental barrier), and will be located at the same latitude than the land's extension.</p>
<p>If I remember correctly, the Stommels &amp; Arons model as explained in <em>Ocean Circulation Theory</em> by Pedlosky explains it well (<a href="https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-662-03204-6?utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=google_books&amp;utm_campaign=3_pier05_buy_print&amp;utm_content=en_08082017" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-662-03204-6?utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=google_books&amp;utm_campaign=3_pier05_buy_print&amp;utm_content=en_08082017</a>).</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-02-23T18:49:08.560Z
2024-02-27T09:53:32.967Z
2024-02-27T09:53:32.967Z
Varazak
<p>Hi If you look at the warm water currents in the N Atlantic, you can see how they have an overall eastward movement pattern:</p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/dTRBE.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/dTRBE.png" alt="enter image description here" /></a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.whoi.edu/know-your-ocean/ocean-topics/how-the-ocean-works/ocean-circulation/the-ocean-conveyor/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Source</a></p>
<p>If you compare this with the Coriolis forces, which also turn in an easterly direction in the N hemisphere, I wonder if there is a correlation? Or whether the current is only controlled by the continental masses?</p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/y0fEI.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/y0fEI.png" alt="enter image description here" /></a></p>
<p><a href="https://studyflix.de/ingenieurwissenschaften/corioliskraft-berechnen-1915" rel="nofollow noreferrer">source</a></p>

<oceanography><ocean-currents><atlantic><amoc><northatlantic>
Are oceanic currents influenced by the Coriolis forces?
Weiss
# Are oceanic currents influenced by the Coriolis forces?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2024-02-22)

Hi If you look at the warm water currents in the N Atlantic, you can see how they have an overall eastward movement pattern:

[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/dTRBE.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/dTRBE.png)

[Source](https://www.whoi.edu/know-your-ocean/ocean-topics/how-the-ocean-works/ocean-circulation/the-ocean-conveyor/)

If you compare this with the Coriolis forces, which also turn in an easterly direction in the N hemisphere, I wonder if there is a correlation? Or whether the current is only controlled by the continental masses?

[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/y0fEI.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/y0fEI.png)

[source](https://studyflix.de/ingenieurwissenschaften/corioliskraft-berechnen-1915)

**Tags:** oceanography, ocean-currents, atlantic, amoc, northatlantic


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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2024-02-26. Score: 5 | Accepted answer

Yes, a major factor in ocean currents is the [geostrophic balance](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780750645522100071#s0120), where Coriolis forces balance pressure gradient forces. In the northern hemisphere, Coriolis-driven currents flow clockwise around areas of high pressure, such as where the sea surface height is elevated. This sustains currents like the subtropical north Atlantic gyre.

The Coriolis effect plays into several other processes, such as the [Sverdrup balance](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780750645522100071#s0180), which contributes to western boundary currents, and the more general process of [Ekman transport](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780750645522100071#s0090). Convergent or divergent Ekman transport, driven by wind stress curl, produces sea surface height anomalies (by "piling up", or moving apart, water at the surface) and thus geostrophic currents.


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### Answer by username_2 on 2024-02-23. Score: 2

Yes, the Coriolis effect does impact some of the oceanic currents. One related phenomenon is the *western intensification* that is leading to the *western boudaries currents*.

You can find more on wikipedia : <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boundary_current#Western_intensification>.

An eastern-flowing current (~ like a jet current) will also form if there is a significant extension of the eastern boundary ( i.e. a continental barrier), and will be located at the same latitude than the land's extension.

If I remember correctly, the Stommels & Arons model as explained in *Ocean Circulation Theory* by Pedlosky explains it well (<https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-662-03204-6?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=google_books&utm_campaign=3_pier05_buy_print&utm_content=en_08082017>).


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