CHAPTER 31 OCEAN CURRENTS Maritime （31章洋流海上）.pdf

CHAPTER 31 OCEAN CURRENTS TYPES AND CAUSES OF CURRENTS 3100. Definitions 3101. Causes of Ocean Currents The movement of ocean water is one of the two The primary generating forces are wind and differences principal sources of discrepancy between dead reckoned in water density caused by variations in heat and salinity and actual positions of vessels. Water in motion is called a Currents generated by these forces are modified by such current; the direction toward which it moves is called set, factors as depth of water, underwater topography including and its speed is called drift. Modern shipping speeds have shape of the basin in which the current is running, extent and lessened the impact of currents on a typical voyage, and location of land, and deflection by the rotation of the Earth. since electronic navigation allows continuous adjustment of course, there is less need to estimate current set and drift 3102. Wind Driven Currents before setting the course to be steered. Nevertheless, a knowledge of ocean currents can be used in cruise planning The stress of wind blowing across the sea causes a to reduce transit times, and current models are an integral surface layer of water to move. Due to the low viscosity of part of ship routing systems. water, this stress is not directly communicated to the ocean Oceanographers have developed a number of methods interior, but is balanced by the Coriolis force within a of classifying currents in order to facilitate descriptions of relatively thin surface layer, 10-200m thick. This layer is their physics and geography. Currents may be