Surface currents in the open ocean tend to curve in a clockwise direction in the Northern Hemisphere and counterclockwise in the Southern Hemisphere because

Question

A. the warmer water at the equator moves toward the poles.

B. the continents act as barriers to the currents.

C. the rotation of the earth is from west to east.

D. the world's major rivers affect the currents as they enter the ocean.

E. of the shifting of the continental plates.

Answer 1

The correct answer is:

B. the continents act as barriers to the currents.

This phenomenon is known as the Coriolis effect, which causes moving fluids (like air and water) to turn and twist due to Earth's rotation. However, the specific behavior of ocean currents is also greatly influenced by the presence of continents, which act as barriers that redirect these currents, causing them to curve clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and counterclockwise in the Southern Hemisphere.