Global ocean currents, illustration. Surface ocean currents (warm, red arrows; cold, blue arrows) are driven by the winds. Opposing winds cause the currents in the ocean basins to form gyres, or giant loops. Currents shown here include various circumpolar, equatorial, drift and counter currents in the Arctic and Antarctic, and the northern and southern Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans. Other named currents are the East Greenland, Labrador, Gulf Stream, Azores, Canary, Guinea, Brazil, Benguela, Falklands, Agulhas, Somali, Peru, East Australian, West Australian, West Wind Drift, East Wind Drift, California, Alaska, Kamchatka, and Japan currents. For this illustration without labels, see image C047/7674.