Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
pass by. The buoy is connected to machines that turn its kinetic
energy into electricity. Other offshore devices stretch out over
the surface of the ocean. These devices bend as the waves rush
past them. This bending motion powers pumps inside that
generate electricity.
Wave power can also be captured onshore. Incoming waves
are forced into a basin. The water is then fed into a turbine,
which generates electricity. Another onshore method combines
water and air. The waves enter the bottom of a chamber that
is sealed on all its other sides. Air sits in the space between the
top of the chamber and the water surface. The movement of
the waves inside the chamber forces the air through a turbine at
the top of the chamber, making the turbine turn.
The World's Major Ocean Currents
Arctic Ocean
Asia
North
America
Europe
Gulf
Stream
Pacific
Ocean
Stream
Africa
Indian
Ocean
South
America
Pacific
Ocean
Australia
Atlantic
Ocean
Southern Ocean
Antarctica
warm water current
cold water current
Currents, which are underwater streams, have fast-moving water. The Gulf Stream contains
a huge amount of energy.
