ENVIRON 222 Lecture Notes - Lecture 12: North Atlantic Gyre, South Atlantic Gyre, South Pacific Gyre
Document Summary
Affect marine life by bringing nutrients up from deeper waters. Affect temperatures by transporting heat, rainfall by providing source of moisture. Floating device tracked through time (e. g. argo floats and drifters) On top is a rotor which measures speed. Not shown is the vane which measures current direction. The case is hollow and is used to store the information. From the tilt (slope) of the sea surface we infer surface currents (little arrows) Ekman flow limited to upper ~100 m, whereas pressure gradient driven flow occurs in any place where pressure gradient is felt. Winds can indirectly influence currents down to the ocean bottom. Water will flow away from the peak of pile, away from the highest pressure. As it flows, water is deflected to the right in northern hemisphere, to the left in. When outward pressure gradient force is balanced by an equal and opposite. Coriolis force, the flow is in geostrophic balance.
