Titel
Frictional effects in wind-driven ocean currents
Autor*in
Abstract
Surface ocean currents have a significant influence on the climate and their dynamics depend to a large extent on the behaviour of the vertical eddy viscosity. We present an analytic study of wind-driven surface currents for general depth-dependent vertical eddy viscosities. A novel formulation for Ekman-type flows, that relies of a transformation to polar coordinates, enables us to show that in the Northern Hemisphere the horizontal current profile decays in magnitude and turns clockwise with increasing depth, irrespective of the vertical variations in diffusivity. Using a perturbation approach, we also derive a formula for the deflection angle of the current at the surface from the wind direction and discuss its implications.
Stichwort
Wind-driven currentspiralling horizontal flowdeflection angle
Objekt-Typ
Sprache
Englisch [eng]
Persistent identifier
Erschienen in
Titel
Geophysical & Astrophysical Fluid Dynamics
Band
115
Ausgabe
1
ISSN
0309-1929
Erscheinungsdatum
2020
Seitenanfang
1
Seitenende
14
Publication
Informa UK Limited
Erscheinungsdatum
2020
Zugänglichkeit
Rechte
Rechteangabe
© 2020 The Author(s)
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