Ocean Currents
The rivers within the sea
The ocean is never still. Vast currents circle the globe, carrying heat from the tropics to the poles, feeding the richest fisheries on Earth and shaping the weather on every continent.
Moving the planet’s heat
Currents carry warmth from the tropics toward the poles and cold water back again — a global heat engine that keeps the climate liveable.
Feeding the sea
Where deep water rises to the surface (upwelling), it brings nutrients that fuel vast blooms of plankton — and the richest fisheries on Earth.
Driving the weather
Warm currents like the Gulf Stream keep whole regions mild and wet, while shifting currents such as El Niño can upend weather worldwide.
The global conveyor belt
Differences in temperature and saltiness drive a slow, deep circulation that links every ocean — one drop can take 1,000 years to travel it.
The great ocean currents
A handful of mighty currents do most of the work of moving the ocean's water around the planet.
Gulf Stream
North Atlantic
A river of warm water from the Gulf of Mexico that crosses the Atlantic and keeps north-west Europe far milder than it should be.
Antarctic Circumpolar Current
Southern Ocean
The largest current on Earth, flowing right around Antarctica and carrying more water than all the world’s rivers combined.
Kuroshio Current
North Pacific
The Pacific’s answer to the Gulf Stream, a warm, fast current that sweeps north past Japan.
Humboldt (Peru) Current
South-east Pacific
A cold, nutrient-rich current up the west coast of South America that feeds one of the most productive fisheries on Earth.
Agulhas Current
Indian Ocean
A powerful warm current racing down the east coast of Africa, famous for its giant “rogue” waves.
California Current
North-east Pacific
A cool current flowing south along western North America, bringing fog and rich coastal waters.