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CURRENTS
TOPICS
CAUSES of OCEAN
CURRENTS,
CHARACTERISTICS of
OCEAN CURRENTS,
MAIN CURRENTS in the
WORLD OCEANS,
INTRODUCTION
THE The
EKMAN
SPIRAL
EKMAN
SPIRAL refers to a
structure of currents or winds
near a horizontal boundary in
which the flow direction rotates
as one moves away from the
boundary.
It derives its name from the
Swedish
oceanographer Vagn Ekman.
The
deflection of surface currents
was
first
noticed
by
the
Norwegian
oceanographer
Fridtjof
Nansen
during
an
expedition. (1893-1896).
The effect is a consequence of
the
EKMAN TRANSPORT,
EKMAN TRANSPORT, is the natural process by which wind
causes movement of water near the ocean surface. Each
layer of water in the ocean drags with it the layer beneath.
Thus the movement of each layer of water is affected by
the movement of the layer above, or below in the case of a
frictional bottom boundary layer.
It is obtained by vertically integrating the Ekman spiral.
Because of the Coriolis effect, the ocean's surface
movement is 45 to the right of direction of surface wind
in the Northern Hemisphere, and 45 to the left in the
Southern Hemisphere.
The average movement of ocean water at all depths (and
thus the Ekman transport) is 90 to the right of the wind in
the Northern Hemisphere, and 90 to the left in the
Southern Hemisphere.
If such a current transports water away from a coast, it
creates an UPWELLING of deep, nutrient-rich sea water.
This has the effect of creating good fishing regions along
coasts where this phenomenon occurs.
THE
EKMAN
SPIRAL
describes
how
the
horizontal
wind
sets
surface waters in motion
as
represented
by
horizontal
vectors
the
speed and direction of
GRADIENT CURRENTS
1. These are caused by Pressure Gradients in the water.
2. They occur whenever water surface develops a slope
due to the following:a) Under the action of wind OR
b) Through a juxtaposition of waters of different
temperatures and / or Salinity
P=hdg
where h is variation of water
column
height, d is variation of
water density
and g is constant.
3. Initial water surface develops a slope which is downwar
Then the Coriolis force action will deflect it.
EXAMPLE
OF
GRADIENT
CURRENTS
CURRENTS in the BAY OF BENGAL during FEBRUARY
Nly CURRENT along EAST COAST of AFRICA in the
GRADIENT CURRENTS
IN NORTHERN HEMISPHERE
CO
F
PG
F
GR
A
CU DIE
RR NT
EN
T
B
PRESSURE at
A>B
PG
F
GR
CU ADIE
RR NT
EN
T
CO
F
A
B
IN SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE
COMPLEX CURRENTS
COMPLEX
CURRENT CHARACTERISTICS
1. Currents vary considerably from one occasion to another
in, both,
SPEED and DIRECTION.
2. The variation of currents ( winds variability) is
understandable. It
varies even when wind is blowing steadily.
3. The variations over coastlines and open sea also show
certain
characteristics which are typical of areas.
4. There is, in general, a close relation between the large
scale
patterns of prevailing currents in the oceans and
corresponding
patterns of the prevailing winds. Examples in NORTH
NORTH EQUATORIAL CURRENT - N E ly TRADE WINDS
ATLANTIC:
SETTING WESTWARDS
NORTH ATLANTIC CURRENT
variable
- WESTERLY WINDS
STRENGTH OF CURRENT
1. In Middle and Higher latitudes over large open
ocean areas the frequently reported speed of
current is knot. Individual reports vary between
NIL and 1 knot.
2. In certain other regions the general level of speed is
higher and
there are extremes also. For example:
EQUATORIAL REGIONS
MEAN SPEED is in
the (MID PACIFIC and WESTERN ATLANTIC) range 1 1 knots.
SPEEDS > 3 knots
have
also been
reported.
In FLORIDA STRAIT
KNOTS
SOMALI CURRENT
SPEEDS 5
SPEEDS
2.
Currents
which
set
NORTHWARDS
or
SOUTHWARDS over long distances transport water
from higher to lower latitudes or vice-versa.
UPWELLING
UPWELLING
Regions of upwelling include Coastal Peru, Chile,
Arabian Sea, Western South Africa, Eastern New
Zealand and the Californian Coast.
Eg. BENEGUELA CURRENT OFF SW AFRICA.
Coast is oriented NNW SSE.
Prevailing wind is
SEly.
Wind action produces surface current roughly
towards West (30 to left of the direction towards
which wind is blowing).
Indirect effect (accounting for subsurface layer)
Gradient
SW
to NESW.
leads to Gradient Current
transportsfrom
water
towards
setting NWly (90to the left of NE).
The above action removes water from coastline due
to current WNWly flowing out.
This water is replaced by water from sub surface
which is colder to the Sea Sub Surface Temperature of
This dense water then flows into the ocean basins. While the
bulk of it UPWELLS in the Southern ocean, the oldest waters
(with a transit time of around 1600 years) UPWELL in the North
Pacific.
Extensive mixing therefore takes place between the ocean
basins, reducing differences between them and making the
LABRADOR CURRENT
EAST GREENLAND
CURRENT
KAMACHATKA CURRENT
OYASHIO CURRENT
FALKLAND CURRENT
WEST AUSTRALIAN
CURRENT
GYRE
North
Atlantic
North
Pacific
Indian
Ocean
South
Pacific
South
Atlantic
GULF STREAM
The Gulf Stream together
with its northern extension
towards Europe, the North
Atlantic Drift, is a powerful,
warm, and swift Atlantic
ocean current.
It originates in the Gulf of
Mexico, exits through the
Strait
of
Florida,
and
follows
the
eastern
coastlines of the US and
Newfoundland
before
crossing
the
Atlantic
Ocean.
At about 40N, 30W, it
splits in two, with the
northern stream crossing to
northern Europe and the
GULF STREAM
GULF STREAM
In
the
North
Atlantic
ocean, the water becomes
so dense that it begins to
sink down through less
salty and less dense water.
This downdraft of heavy,
cold
and
dense
water
becomes a part of the
LABRADOR CURRENT
The Labrador Current
is a cold current of the
North Atlantic ocean
which flows from the
Arctic
ocean,
south
along the coast of
Labrador and passes
around Newfoundland,
continuing south along
the east coast of Nova
Scotia.
It is a continuation of
the West Greenland
Current and the Baffin
Island Current.
LABRADOR CURRENT
CANARY CURRENT
The Canary Current is an
ocean
current
which
branches South from the
North Atlantic Current
and flows toward the
South-West about as far
as Senegal where it
turns West.
The cool temperature is
caused by the upwelling
by the current. Major
upwelling
occurs
between 23 - 25 N.
The general Southward
movement of the ocean
circulation is due to this
BENGUELA
The
CURRENT
BENGUELA CURRENT
flows from the Western
coast
of
South
Africa,
Namibia
and
Angola
towards N and NW up to the
line where it joins the
Southern Equatorial Current
which is already a Warm
Current.
This
current
is
COLD
because of UPWELLING. The
deep
waters
moving
upward is increased by the
Southern
Trade
Winds
blowing West from the
Kalahari Desert towards the
ocean
and
creates
a
displacement of top African
coast ocean waters to the
West . The deep waters
BRAZIL
It is
CURRENT
WARM CURRENT
flowing South along the
Brazilian South coast.
This current is caused by
diversion of a portion of
the
Atlantic
South
Equatorial Current from
where that current meets
the
South
American
continent.
It is a Western boundary
current
like
the
Gulf
Stream. It is its southern
counterpart; however, it
is considerably shallower
and weaker.
It
flows
South
from
Equator to the West Wind
KUROSHIO
CURRENT
The
KUROSHIO
CURRENT (Japanese for
"Black Tide") is the
world's second largest
ocean current, after the
Antarctic
Circumpolar
Current.
It begins in the Western
Pacific ocean off the
East coast of Taiwan
and
flows
North
Eastward past Japan,
where it merges with
the Easterly Drift of the
North Pacific Current.
KUROSHIO
CURRENT
It is analogous to the
Gulf Stream in the
Atlantic
ocean,
transporting
warm,
tropical
water
Northward towards the
polar region.
Its counterparts are the
North Pacific Current to
the
North,
the
California Current to
the East, and the North
Equatorial Current to
the South.
The branch into the Sea
of
Japan
is
called
Tsushima Current.
CALIFORNIA CURRENT
LARGE MARINE ECOSYSTEM (LME), NAMED AFTER THE PRUSSIAN NATURALIST ALEXANDER VON HUMBOLDT
AGHULAS CURRENT
CHARTING OF CURRENTS
Ocean currents may be depicted a variety of ways to
suit various requirements. In some parts of the world
the variation of the current according to the time of
the year is sufficiently small to justify the production
of a mean annual chart showing the general
circulation.
In most regions, however, it is necessary to
distinguish between the different times of the year,
preferably by means of separate charts for each
month. Some of the most meaningful forms of
representation
require
a
large
number
of
observations.
For this reason it has often been necessary to
combine monthly observations into three-monthly
periods because of the lack of sufficient observations
to justify a monthly representation.
CHARTING OF CURRENTS
CHARTING OF CURRENTS
PERIOD OF CHARTS
CURRENT ROSE
A circle is drawn on the chart,
encompassing a particular
region
where a large number of
recording
of observations have made.
The circle is divided into 16
sectors
of 22
each orof8the
sectors
of
The
DIRECTION
current
45
is
each,
without
overlap.
recorded
in any
compass
point
and
indicated
by
an
ARROW
starting
radially from the center of the
circle, along the mid-point of
the sector.
Hence
there will be
or 8
The LENGTH
OF 16EACH
arrows
ARROW
equally spaced around the
indicates
the
total
circle.
frequency of
CURRENT ROSE
The thickness of each
ARROW indicates the
range
of SPEED in n miles /
day as
Each
ARROW
subtabulated
on the is
chart.
divided
into lengths of different
thickness to indicate the
frequency
of
observations of
The totalspeed
number
of
different
ranges.
observations made for
a
given period, and the
frequency
of
the
current of
speed
less
than
6