ocean currents and their impacts on marine life and coastal environment

Its physical characteristics like temperature, salinity, density and the external forces like the sun, the moon and the winds influence the movement of ocean water. Ocean currents are the continuous flow of huge amount of water in a definite direction. Water moves ahead from one place to another place through ocean currents. Ocean currents have direct impact on the climate and economy of the region. 

Ocean currents and water masses differ in their impacts on marine life and the coastal environment in different ways: 

• Impact on biodiversity: The physical parameters of water masses are essential because they structure the water masses and determine the various habitats that provide the environmental conditions required for marine life. 

These conditions influence the production and the growth of plankton and fish species. The dispersion and dwelling of larvae for many benthic and pelagic species depend on hydro-graphical factors. They also play an important role for the exchanges between the sea and the atmosphere and between the various layers of water. 

Ocean currents also have direct impact on the marine biodiversity. For example, mixing of ocean currents become a ground for fishing. Best example is eastern USA coast. 

• Osmo regulation and fertility: Water masses formation and location of its formation has direct bearing on the marine biodiversity as salinity and temperature of water masses change with its location.

While ocean currents also change the salinity of coastal region which changes the marine biodiversity, it has direct bearing on temperature of region also. Best example is north Atlantic drift of Atlantic region. Due to north Atlantic drift, Murmansk port of Russian region remain ice free. 

• Impact on corals: Formation of water masses near the region of corals can destroy the coral region of world. Deep coral will be more impacted by the formation of deep ocean water masses. 

• Impact on climate of regions: Impact of ocean currents has more bearing on the climate of the region. For example, north Atlantic Drift has direct bearing on climate of whole Europe region. Deccan currents have direct bearing on the whole climate of the world, for example- El-Nino, while ocean water masses have less impact on the climate. However, in the recent time melting of glaciers and global warming have had considerable impact on marine life. 

• Latitude heat balance: Ocean currents have key role in transferring heat from tropical regions to higher latitudes. This helps in rainfall and climate of higher latitudes. Also, ocean currents bring colder water from polar regions to tropical regions. 

Water masses have more bearing on the deep sea marine biodiversity as deep water masses have direct bearing on these species, while ocean currents have very less bearing on deep sea water species. Further, ocean currents and their impact have been studied in much detail while the impact of water masses need to be studied more elaborately. Further scientific studies must be carried out to study the impact of these two phenomena.