How do surface currents influence weather patterns

He holds a B. What Causes Katabatic Winds? What Are the Winter Monsoons? How Landforms Affect Weather. How Do Mountains Affect Precipitation? What Causes a Tropical Revolving Storm? The Stages of Mid-Latitude Cyclones. Differences Between Mediterranean Climate and Humid About Prevailing Westerlies. The global wind patterns cause the surface currents to form in the uppers layer of the ocean.

Where these winds blow in the same direction for long periods of time, large currents develop and transport vast amounts of water over long distances. As these currents flow along the edges of continents, they affect the temperature of the coastal regions. Along the east coast of the U. Along the west coast of the U. Normally, warmer water is transported westward in the Pacific Ocean by the southeast trade winds until it accumulates near Indonesia.

This warm water in the western Pacific Ocean causes low air pressure and high rainfall. Warmer water causes the air above the ocean's surface to warm and rise, leaving an area of lower pressure. More rainfall is associated with lower air pressure. Meanwhile, the eastern Pacific Ocean has high air pressure and less rainfall.

Every 3 to 10 years, the southeast trade winds weaken, allowing the warm water to flow further eastward toward South America. Low pressured air also holds less heat than high pressured air, which is why it is generally colder at higher elevations. TL;DR Too Long; Didn't Read Water currents have the ability to cool and warm the air, while air currents push air from one climate to another, bringing heat or cold and moisture with it.

The Characteristics of a Hurricane. What Are Convection Currents? Facts on Convection Currents. How Are Cyclones Made? Types of Breezes. Hadley Cell Effects. Examples of Condensation in Everyday Life.