Global ocean currents, diagram. Surface ocean currents (warm, red arrow; 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 the Antarctic Circumpolar, the North Equatorial, South Equatorial and Equatorial Counter currents, the North Pacific and North Atlantic Drift currents, and the South Pacific, South Atlantic, and South Indian currents. The other currents are the Oyashio, Kuroshio, East Australia, California, Peru (Pacific), Labrador, East Greenland, Gulf Stream, Norwegian, Canary, Brazil, Benguela (Atlantic) and West Australia and Mozambique (Indian) currents.