EkmanTransportbewegung

Ekman transport is a concept in oceanography that describes the net movement of water in a direction perpendicular to the wind direction. This phenomenon is a consequence of the Coriolis effect, which deflects moving objects (including water) to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere. When wind blows over the surface of the ocean, it imparts stress to the uppermost layer of water, causing it to move.

However, the deeper layers of water are not directly influenced by the wind. Instead, they are moved by friction with the layer above them. This frictional drag, combined with the Coriolis effect, causes each successive layer of water to move at a slower speed and at an angle to the layer above. The cumulative effect of these angled movements creates a spiral profile known as the Ekman spiral.

Ekman transport specifically refers to the net transport of water in the Ekman layer, which is the layer of the ocean influenced by the wind and Coriolis effect. This net transport is found to be approximately 90 degrees to the right of the wind direction in the Northern Hemisphere and 90 degrees to the left in the Southern Hemisphere. This effect plays a crucial role in ocean circulation patterns, influencing phenomena like coastal upwelling and downwelling, as well as the movement of heat and nutrients within the ocean.