Ekman transport

Ekman transport, named for Vagn Walfrid Ekman, is the natural process by which wind causes movement of water near the ocean surface. Each layer of water in the ocean drags with it the layer beneath. Thus the movement of each layer of water is affected by the movement of the layer above, or below in the case of a frictional bottom boundary layer.

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It is obtained by vertically integrating the Ekman spiral. Because of the Coriolis effect, the ocean's surface movement is 45° to the right of direction of surface wind in the Northern Hemisphere, and 45° to the left in the Southern Hemisphere. The average movement of ocean water at all depths (and thus the Ekman transport) is 90° to the right of the wind in the Northern Hemisphere, and 90° to the left in the Southern Hemisphere. If such a current transports water away from a coast, it creates an upwelling of deep, nutrient-rich sea water. This has the effect of creating good fishing regions along coasts where this phenomenon occurs.