Surface ocean currents flow vertically in the uppermost 400 meters of the water column.​

Gyres tend to collect seaweed and trash as their centers.

The Ekman spiral is similar to an eddy in that the water spirals downward like a whirlpool.​

Downwelling can have direct effects on the climate of an adjacent coast.

Surface currents distribute tropical heat worldwide. The winters in Scotland, Ireland, and England are relatively mild due to the energy transported by the North Atlantic Current and the Gulf Stream.​

Thermohaline currents are driven by temperature and salinity of seawater

Ocean surface currents move much more heat than atmospheric circulation.

Upwelling is associated with high biological productivity.

Surface currents do not interact with deep thermohaline currents.

El Nino events occur because of the cessation or reversal of the Pacific Trade Winds.