EAS 1540 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Ekman Layer, Ekman Transport, Thermocline
15 Dec 2016
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Document Summary
Westerly and trade winds drive the ekman layer to the center of the gyre to create a mound of surface water. Mound of surface water sinks down and turns with coriolis. Until it turns the fluid to travel along concentric lines of constant pressure - geostrophic balance. Western boundary currents = swift and narrow jets that bring warm water from the tropics to high latitudes. Eastern boundary currents = broad and slow that bring cold water from high latitudes towards the tropics. Ne trade winds drive ekman transport of the surface layer to the north. Se trade winds drive ekman transport to the south. Surface water piles up on western side of the ocean - forcing downward tilt to the thermocline. Cooling effect only on eastern side of pacific. Eastern equatorial pacific cold tongue - due to equatorial upwelling and close proximity of the thermocline to surface ekman depth.
