motion of water. In the Ocean there are three major types of currents; Tidal, Coastal, and Surface Ocean.

Coastal currents are movements of water that are located near the coast and are influenced by wind, waves and land formations. Surface Ocean currents are currents that are located throughout the oceans, involve much more complex influences like global wind systems, the spin of the earth, salinity, and water temperatures.

Normally wind patterns on the earth follow a cycle of circulation between the equator and the poles. But because the earth rotates on it's axis, these normally north and south wind patterns develop a slight curve, called the Coriolis effect. In the northern hemisphere this effect causes the winds to curve to the right, in the southern hemisphere, to the left. As the winds blow on the surface of the oceans, it drags the surface of the water in the same direction...
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