An ocean current is a continuous, directed movement of seawater generated by forces acting upon this mean flow, such as breaking waves, wind, the Coriolis effect, cabbeling, and temperature and salinity differences, while tides are caused by the gravitational pull of the Sun and Moon. Depth contours, shoreline configurations, and interactions with other currents influence a currents direction and strength.

Ocean currents flow for great distances, and together, create the global conveyor belt which plays a dominant role in determining the climate of many of the Earths regions. More specifically, ocean currents influence the temperature of the regions through which they travel. Irish Coastal Current data was provided by Petroleum Affairs Division. This data was created as part of the Irish Offshore Strategic Environmental Assessment (IOSEA).

Data Resources (6)

SHP
available as shp
CSV
available as CSV
KML
available as KML
WMS
available as WMS
GML
available as GML
JSON
available as json

Data Resource Preview - Download KML

Theme Environment
Date released 2012-01-01
Date updated 2016-11-11
Dataset conforms to these standards The INSPIRE Directive or INSPIRE lays down a general framework for a Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) for the purposes of European Community environmental policies and policies or activities which may have an impact on the environment.
Rights notes ['Creative Commons Licence conditions apply', 'https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/', 'license']
Update frequency Other
Language English
Landing page http://atlas.marine.ie/arcgis/services/OceanFeatures/MapServer/WMSServer?REQUEST=GetMap&SERVICE=WMS&LAYERS=30&VERSION=1.3.0&FORMAT=image/png&CRS=CRS:84&BBOX=-12.74,46.44,-4.100,52.86&WIDTH=1000&HEIGHT=1000&STYLES=default
Geographic coverage in GeoJSON format {"type":"Polygon","coordinates":[[[-10.74562, 47.445883055],[-10.74562, 51.8608], [-5.10016, 51.8608], [-5.10016, 47.445883055], [-10.74562, 47.445883055]]]}
Spatial Reference Systems (SRS) WGS 84 (EPSG:4326)
Vertical Extent {"verticalDomainName": "sea level", "minVerticalExtent": "-2000", "maxVerticalExtent": "-20"}
Provenance information IOSEA reference from Fourth Strategic Environmental Assessment for Oil and Gas Activity in Irelands Offshore Waters: IOSEA4 Irish and Celtic Seas - Environmental Report (2011) contains data on the Irish Coastal Ocean Current originally sourced in consultation with Department of Earth and Ocean Sciences NUI Galway.
Period of time covered (end) 2012-01-01