ocean current

/ˌoʊʃən ˌkʌrənt/

Other forms: ocean currents

Definitions of ocean current

1. noun

   the steady flow of surface ocean water in a prevailing direction
   types:

   El Nino, El Niño

   (oceanography) a warm ocean current that flows along the equator from the date line and south off the coast of Ecuador at Christmas time

   equatorial current

   any of the ocean currents that flow westward at the equator

   Gulf stream

   a warm ocean current that flows from the Gulf of Mexico northward through the Atlantic Ocean

   Japan current, Kuroshio, Kuroshio current

   a warm ocean current that flows northeastwardly off the coast of Japan into the northern Pacific ocean

   Humboldt current, Peruvian current

   a cold ocean current that flows north along the Pacific Coast of South America before turning west

   El Nino southern oscillation

   a more intense El Nino that occurs every few years when the welling up of cold nutrient-rich water does not occur; kills plankton and fish and affects weather patterns

   North Equatorial Current

   an equatorial current that flows west across the Pacific just north of the equator

   South Equatorial Current

   an equatorial current that flows west across the Pacific just south of the equator

   type of:

   current, stream

   a steady flow of a fluid (usually from natural causes)