Quiz - Skills & Environment - Major Currents

[Pedro Burrito]

From the Skills and Environment Section of the PADI Dive Theory Exam:

The major currents that flow in the North Pacific and North Atlantic oceans move in a ____ direction.

a. northerly

b. southerly

c. counterclockwise

d. clockwise


I will post a daily question from my exams to help newer divers and to encourage more experienced divers to interact gracefully and helpfully with the newer divers.

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Thank you for your patience while we try to give people something to discuss other than Covid-19 and/or Politics. I will post the answer covered by the spoiler tag later today.

 

[michael-fisch]

CCW?
Are you sure that the Gulf Stream starts in Murmansk and Norway, and flows by Greenland down past the Atlantic states finally ending up in the Gulf to warm it? And that the Japan Current starts in Baja Mexico flowing up past California, Oregon, Washington; Alaska, and Siberia to finally warm Japan?
Ouch!

 

[stepfen]

CCW?

To be precise if you look inside out i.e. when you are underwater deep in say the Atlantic ocean looking at the surface, it is CCW...
Another crap question

 

[elmo]

That's a very North America-centric question. As someone who dives (and observes weather patterns) primarily in Australia I had to guess it would be backwards compared to the South Pacific

 

[BlueTrin]

To be precise if you look inside out i.e. when you are underwater deep in say the Atlantic ocean looking at the surface, it is CCW...
Another crap question

 

[scubadada]

That's a very North America-centric question. As someone who dives (and observes weather patterns) primarily in Australia I had to guess it would be backwards compared to the South Pacific

And...that would be correct

 

[Nirvana]

I wasn't certain about the answer, but I figured the main currents should be dictated by the Coriolis effect.

Incidentally, here is a very interesting and entertaining video that illustrates the effect:

 

[Steve_C]

Hmmm. If I am south of the gulf stream then it is clockwise. North of the gulf stream it is counterclockwise. But when I think North Atlantic I think north of the gulf stream. But the gulf stream is the big current which keeps Europe from turning into Canada.

 

[AfterDark]

To be precise if you look inside out i.e. when you are underwater deep in say the Atlantic ocean looking at the surface, it is CCW...
Another crap question

There's ^ the correct answer.

 

[HKGuns]

The question had to be and was very clear. Northern hemisphere. Who knows, maybe there is another question coming that deals with the Southern Hemisphere.