Circulation of the Ocean - Lecture 4 Flashcards
1
Q
What are the prime movers of surface current?
A
- Powerful westerlies
- Persistent trade winds
2
Q
What are surface currents?
A
Roughly 10% of water in the worlds oceans, flow horizontally in top 400m which is mainly driven by wind friction.
3
Q
What are the forces that drive surface current?
A
- Solar energy
- Coriolis effect
- winds
- Gravity
4
Q
What way to gyres flow?
A
Clockwise in the NH, and anticlockwise in the SH.
5
Q
What is the Ekman spiral?
A
Add picture!
When driven by wind, ocean water flows at ~45 degrees to the right of the wind direction in the NH. In theory this should be 90 degrees but is reduced due to interaction with pressure gradient.
