Final answer:
After encountering North America, an ocean current traveling from the west across the North Pacific Ocean would typically either move northward, forming the Alaska Current, or southward, becoming the California Current.
Step-by-step explanation:
When an ocean current traveling from west to east across the North Pacific Ocean encounters North America, it cannot continue to move eastward due to the land barrier. Instead, the current must follow the contours of the continent's coastline, which will typically involve a change of direction either northward or southward. Based on general knowledge of currents such as the North Pacific Current (also known as the North Pacific Drift), when the current meets the North American west coast, it splits: the northern stream usually becomes the Alaska Current, moving northward, while the southern stream becomes the California Current, moving southward. In this case, the options B (reverses and moves back westward) and A (continues to move eastward) are not viable. Thus, the correct answers are C) It moves northward or D) It moves southward, depending on which stream of the current you are referring to.