OCG 301 Lecture Notes - Lecture 15: Ekman Spiral, Ekman Transport, Wind Stress
Document Summary
More in the blue, less in the red. Suspended sediment, detritus, any particle not phytoplankton. Give water brownish color or make the water look brighter. Variability phytoplankton bring to the color of the water. As you add more chlorophyll to the water you end up with a shift towards appearing more green. Low chl; peak reflectance at blue wavelength. Med chl; peak reflectance shifts toward green wavelength. High chl; peak reflectance shifts even more towards green wavelength. Wind stress balances the coriolis force = ekman transport. Rule: ekmans transport is toward the right of the wind stress (n hemisphere) Upwelling = movement of deep water to surface. Occurs when winds from the north blow along the west coast of a continent. Describes the speed and direction of flow of surface waters at various depths. Overall water movement due to the ekman spiral. Strength of upwelling dependent on how far the cold water extends offshore.
