ocean currents account for about 40% of global heat transport 

water moves at 20-45 degree angle to wind due to coriolis force


move slower than winds - several km per day - km per hr
1- gulf stream - check out the current position of the gulf stream: 

3- laborador current

7- north equatorial current

8- north equatorial. counter current

9- south equatorial current

10- south equatorial counter current

11- equatorial counter current

12- kuroshio current

14- Alaska current

16- California current

Ocean currents

An ocean current is a continuous, directed movement of ocean water generated by the forces acting upon this mean flow, such as breaking waves, wind,Corliosis effect, temperature and salinity differences and tides caused by the gravitational pull of the Moon and the Sun. Depth contours, shorelines configurations and interaction with other currents influence a current's direction and strength.

Ocean currents can flow for great distances, and together they create the great flow of the global conveyor belt which plays a dominant part in determining the climate of many of the Earth’s regions. Perhaps the most striking example is the Golf Stream, which makes northwest Europe much more temperate than any other region at the same latitude. Another example is the , Hawaiian Islands where the climate is cooler (sub-tropical) than the tropical latitudes in which they are located, due to the effect of the California coast. 

What weather is driven by?

Weather is driven by density (temperature and moisture) differences between one place and another.These differences can occur due to the sun angle at any particular spot, which varies by latitude from the tropics. The strong temperature contrast between polar and tropical air gives rise to the jet stream. Weather systems in the mid-latitudes, are caused by instabilities of the jet stream flow. Because the Earth's axis is tilted relative to its orbital plane, sunlight is incident at different angles at different times of the year. On Earth's surface, temperatures usually range ±40 °C (100 °F to −40 °F annually. Over thousands of years, changes in Earth's orbit affect the amount and distribution of solar energy received by the Earth and influence long term climate and global climate change.