Ocean Currents of Alterra follow the same physical laws as other worlds. The large oceans are salty and fresh water from the arctic ice caps will be heavier and sink below. The equatorial regions higher solar gain heats the water and that with the coriolis force the warm water flows east ward and away from the equator. This brings warm air toward the poles. As the water looses energy it cools and sinks. This cooler water returns to the equator and the cycle begins again. In areas where the circular motion of the currents swirls the oceans a gyre forms. The winds in general follow the normal convection cell formation creating easterlies and westerlies that affect local weather patterns. Northern and southern jet streams in the near polar latitudes push weather systems around the globe and can be shifted by movements in the currents based on time of year and cloud cover. Because Alterra has less water and shallower oceans weather patterns can be extreme as they pick up hot air over the large continents of this world. The Minwoli ocean is the largest and has the largest impact on these systems.