Cold ocean currents move both vertically and horizontally and can be influenced by the land masses that border the ocean, the topography or the shape of the ocean basin. As the horizontal currents move south or northward, they carry with them cool or warm water over an extended distance. It is the displaced water that affects the air by warming or cooling it, thereby transferring the same effect to the land surface over which it blows. This is how cold ocean currents affect climate. The movement of heat energy through local and global ocean currents affects the regulation of local weather conditions and temperature extremes, stabilization of global climate patterns, cycling of gases, and delivery of nutrients and larva to marine ecosystems. Prevailing winds, ocean surface currents, and the associated mixing influence the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of the ocean, as well as global climate.