What drives surface currents in the ocean?

Surface currents in the ocean are primarily driven by wind. When the wind blows across the surface of the ocean, it transfers energy to the water, causing it to move and generate currents. These surface currents can travel thousands of kilometers and play a crucial role in regulating climate by distributing heat and influencing weather patterns.

While gravity does play a role in the movement of water, particularly in larger-scale ocean currents and phenomena like thermohaline circulation, it is not the primary driver of surface currents. Tidal forces, generated by the gravitational pull of the moon and sun, mainly affect water levels and generate tidal currents, which are different from surface currents driven by wind. Earth's rotation does influence ocean currents through the Coriolis effect, but again, it is the wind that initiates and drives the motion of surface currents. Thus, wind is directly responsible for creating the initial movement of surface water, making it the correct answer to the question.