Do Thermohaline Currents Flow Vertically?

The whole ocean is involved in slow thermohaline circulation, a process responsible for the large-scale vertical movement of ocean water and the circulation of the global ocean as a whole.

Do surface currents flow vertically or horizontally?

Surface ocean currents can occur on local and global scales and are typically wind-driven, resulting in both horizontal and vertical water movement.

What causes the thermohaline current vertical movement?

At the Indian Ocean, some of the cold and salty water from the Atlantic—drawn by the flow of warmer and fresher upper ocean water from the tropical Pacific—causes a vertical exchange of dense, sinking water with lighter water above.