EPS SCI 15 Lecture 7 Review

What is the primary forcing agent for upper ocean circulation?

Wind

What is the wind’s pattern characterized by?

The alternating bands of easterlies and westerlies

What is transferred from the wind into the surface ocean that leads to an acceleration of water in the direction of the wind (friction)?

Momentum that is transferred

Since Earth is a rotating body, every fluid parcel is subject to what?

The Coriolis Effect

What is the effect of the Coriolis effect?

Leads to a deflection to the right in the Northern hemisphere and to the left in the Southern hemisphere

What does the Coriolis Effect give rise to?

The Ekman Spiral

What is the Ekman spiral?

Net effect which transports water 90 degrees to the right of the wind in the NH, and 90 degrees to the left in the SH

Also called Ekman transport

What causes differences in sea surface heights?

Also wind

The resulting pressure from differences in sea surface heights creates a what?

Pressure gradient force

What is the result of the pressure gradient force balanced by the Coriolis Effect?

The Geostrophic Current

What does the Geostrophic Current run parallel to?

Isobars

What creates pressure gradients in the ocean?

The accumulation (convergence, Ekman pumping) and removal (divergence, Ekman suction)

What balances pressure gradients?

On a rotating planet, pressure gradients are balanced by circular flows, i.e. gyres

The change of Earth rotation with latitude would cause what?

A westward intensification of the gyres with very narrow, energetuc currents