Editing Ocean current (section)

=== Wind-driven circulation ===
Surface oceanic currents are driven by wind currents, the large scale prevailing winds drive major persistent ocean currents, and seasonal or occasional winds drive currents of similar persistence to the winds that drive them,<ref name="NatGeo Current" >{{cite web |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/current/#:~:text=or%20as%20lightning.-,Air%20Currents,flow%20in%20a%20certain%20direction |title=Current |publisher=National Geographic |website=www.nationalgeographic.org |date=2 September 2011 |access-date=7 January 2021 }}</ref> and the [[Coriolis effect]] plays a major role in their development.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://dashamlav.com/ocean-currents-world-map-types-causes-characteristics/|title=Ocean Currents of the World: Causes|date=29 August 2020|access-date=2020-11-20}}</ref> The [[Ekman spiral]] velocity distribution results in the currents flowing at an angle to the driving winds, and they develop typical clockwise spirals in the [[northern hemisphere]] and counter-clockwise rotation in the [[southern hemisphere]].<ref name=NNOAACurrents>
{{cite web |url= http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/kits/currents/05currents1.html |title = Surface Ocean Currents |last = National Ocean Service |date = March 25, 2008 |website= noaa.gov |publisher= [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]] |access-date = 2017-06-13 |url-status= live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170706062957/https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/kits/currents/05currents1.html |archive-date = July 6, 2017}}</ref>
In addition, the areas of surface ocean currents move somewhat with the [[season]]s; this is most notable in equatorial currents.

Deep ocean basins generally have a non-symmetric surface current, in that the eastern equator-ward flowing branch is broad and diffuse whereas the pole-ward flowing [[western boundary current]] is relatively narrow.