Along the eastern side of the N Pacific, shallow flows characterize the eastern limbs of the subtropic and subpolar gyres. Beneath the surface, and sometimes at the surface, poleward flows overlying the continental slope persists from Mexico to the Aleutian Arc.

Shallow flows in the Arctic tend for form an anticylonic and a cyclonic gyre. Beneath the surface, and sometimes at the surface, cyclonic circumbasin boundary flows overlie the slopes. These themes are repeated in ocean basins and marginal seas throughout the world. Why? The suggestion is that, of all ways ocean currents can organize, largely independently of applied forcing, the overwhelming majority of outcomes resemble California Currents. This is especially illustrated in the Arctic.