# Ocean currents

Steady flows driven by wind and by differences in sea temperature and saltiness.

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_currents/

Natural sources · Solar-derived flows · No. 5

- Natural sources
- Origin: Indirect solar
- Renewable: Yes
 Natural sources · Solar-derived flows · Foundation · Energy

Unlike wind or tides, the Gulf Stream never stops, so a turbine placed in it could run about 70% of the time.

Chart: Illustration: Ocean currents

##### Where it comes from

Chart: Map of where it comes from

Wind drags the sea surface and the Earth's spin organises the flow, putting about 0.8 TW of work into the ocean circulation.

##### Three things to know

1. About 80% of the wind's work on the ocean circulation enters over the remote, stormy Southern Ocean.
2. The Gulf Stream off the south-eastern US averages about 6.4 km/h, far faster than most currents.
3. Most other US coastal waters have non-tidal currents of only about 0.2 m/s or less.

##### The journey

1. 1 **Wind stress**Surface winds drag the sea along
2. 2 **Earth's rotation**Spin shapes flows into basin-wide circulations
3. 3 **Boundary currents**Fast narrow jets like the Gulf Stream
4. 4 **Turbines**Underwater prototypes, no commercial plants yet
5. 5 **Electricity**Steady output, if the technology matures
 Covered in [Earth's energy flows: sun, wind, water, heat and lifeEnergy](https://www.materialinsights.org/learn/energy/earths-energy-flows/)

##### Go deeper pick a tab to open it in full

## Other sections

- [Overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_currents/overview/index.md)
- [Correlation](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_currents/correlation/index.md)
- [How energy resides](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_currents/resides/index.md)
- [Abundance](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_currents/abundance/index.md)
- [Fluctuation in time](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_currents/time/index.md)
- [Across the Earth](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_currents/geography/index.md)
- [Impact on nature](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_currents/nature/index.md)
- [Relationships](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_currents/links/index.md)