what direction do most surface currents south of equator move
Surface Ocean Currents. The water at the ocean surface is moved primarily by winds that blow in certain patterns because of the Earth s spin and the Coriolis Effect. Winds are able to move the top 400 meters of the ocean creating surface ocean currents. Surface ocean currents form large circular patterns called gyres. Gyres flow clockwise in Northern Hemisphere oceans and counterclockwise in Southern Hemisphere oceans because of the Coriolis Effect. creating surface ocean currents. Near the Earth s poles, gyres tend to flow in the opposite direction. Surface ocean currents flow in a regular pattern, but they are not all the same.