Equatorial Ekman transport creating a low pressure zone at the surface of the ocean, which is filled by colder upwelling water from deeper in the ocean.

Surface winds from due North and due South blowing towards the equator from the North and South Poles, blowing cold surface water towards the equator. At the Equator this cold water has nowhere else to go, so it stays there as a cold band.

Icebergs from Antarctica, which are caught up in the Southern Hemisphere Ekman spiral, and drift northwards to melt at this location, resulting in a cold zone in the Pacific Ocean.

Meltwater from glaciers on equatorial mountains in South America, flowing down rivers into the Pacific Ocean at that location, resulting in a cold zone in the Pacific Ocean.

Equatorial Ekman transport creating a topographic high zone at the surface of the ocean, which is then cooled, as temperature decreases with elevation.

It

brings water rich in dissolved gases from the deep oceans towards the surface.

It

is not important for ocean productivity – in fact upwelling reduces ocean

productivity.

It

brings nutrient-rich water from the deep oceans towards the surface.

All

of it

One

third

One

half

One

quarter

One

fifth

Temperature

Salinity

Density

Pressure

All

of the above ocean properties (a., b., c., and d.) decrease with depth.

Ekman

transport integrated over the Ekman layer occurs at ~90° to the right in the

Southern Hemisphere.

Net

Ekman transport over the Ekman layer occurs at approximately 90° to the wind direction

The

effects of a wind stress on the ocean surface are transmitted down through the

water column by the action of turbulent eddies that are themselves generated by

the wind.

Moving

water is deflected to the left in the Southern Hemisphere (or right in the Northern Hemisphere) by the coriolis

force.

The

depth to which the effects of wind are felt is inversely proportional to the

Coriolis force magnitude (deeper near the equator and shallower away towards

the poles).

The

ocean can absorb large amounts of heat, with a large increase in temperature

The

ocean can absorb small amounts of heat, but with a large increase in

temperature

The

ocean cannot absorb heat

16 km

3.7 km

9 km