Articles | Volume 16, issue 5
https://doi.org/10.5194/os-16-1089-2020
https://doi.org/10.5194/os-16-1089-2020
Research article
 | Highlight paper
 | 
18 Sep 2020
Research article | Highlight paper |  | 18 Sep 2020

The Ekman spiral for piecewise-uniform viscosity

David G. Dritschel, Nathan Paldor, and Adrian Constantin

Related authors

Geostrophic adjustment on the midlatitude β plane
Itamar Yacoby, Nathan Paldor, and Hezi Gildor
Ocean Sci., 19, 1163–1181, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-19-1163-2023,https://doi.org/10.5194/os-19-1163-2023, 2023
Short summary
Extension of Ekman (1905) wind-driven transport theory to the β plane
Nathan Paldor and Lazar Friedland
Ocean Sci., 19, 93–100, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-19-93-2023,https://doi.org/10.5194/os-19-93-2023, 2023
Short summary
On the role of domain aspect ratio in the westward intensification of wind-driven surface ocean circulation
Kaushal Gianchandani, Hezi Gildor, and Nathan Paldor
Ocean Sci., 17, 351–363, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-17-351-2021,https://doi.org/10.5194/os-17-351-2021, 2021
Short summary

Related subject area

Approach: Analytic Theory | Depth range: Surface | Geographical range: All Geographic Regions | Phenomena: Current Field
Single super-vortex as a proxy for ocean surface flow fields
Imre M. Jánosi, Miklós Vincze, Gábor Tóth, and Jason A. C. Gallas
Ocean Sci., 15, 941–949, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-15-941-2019,https://doi.org/10.5194/os-15-941-2019, 2019
Short summary
Technical note: Two types of absolute dynamic ocean topography
Peter C. Chu
Ocean Sci., 14, 947–957, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-14-947-2018,https://doi.org/10.5194/os-14-947-2018, 2018
Short summary

Cited articles

Boyd, J. P.: Dynamics of the Equatorial Ocean, Springer, Berlin, 2018. a
Bressan, A. and Constantin, A.: The deflection angle of surface ocean currents from the wind direction, J. Geophys. Res.-Oceans, 124, 7412–7420, 2019. a, b, c, d
Constantin, A.: Frictional effects in wind-driven ocean currents, Geophys. Astro. Fluid, https://doi.org/10.1080/03091929.2020.1748614, online first, 2020. a, b, c, d, e
Constantin, A. and Johnson, R. S.: Atmospheric Ekman flows with variable eddy viscosity, Bound.-Lay. Meteorol., 170, 395–414, 2019. a, b
Ekman, V. W.: On the influence of the Earth's rotation on ocean-currents, Ark. Mat. Astron. Fys., 2, 1–52, 1905. a, b, c, d, e, f
Download
Short summary
Ekman's (1905) solution for how wind affects ocean surface currents is revisited and extended analytically for a piecewise-constant profile of vertical diffusion. This allows a comprehensive understanding of how the surface current deflection angle relative to the wind direction varies with the profile of vertical diffusion.