A team of scientists from NOAA, the Indian National Center for Ocean Information Services, and the University of Zagreb has found an exception to Ekman’s theory of wind-driven ocean currents. The study, published in Science Advances, analyzed data from a buoy in the Indian Ocean off the eastern coast of India.
In 1905, Swedish oceanographer Vagn Walfrid Ekman discovered that surface ocean currents deflected to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and left in the Southern Hemisphere when impacted by wind. However, this new study found an exception – winds in the Bay of Bengal, a region in the Northern Hemisphere, deflecting ocean currents to the left.
The researchers used multi-year statistics from the buoy to support their findings. They suggest that their discovery could lead to changes in climate models and highlight the need for further research on wind’s impact on ocean currents. The study may also help deploy satellite systems to monitor wind and ocean surface currents, potentially uncovering other exceptions to Ekman’s theory.
The researchers believe that finding more exceptions could improve our understanding of ocean surface flow and circulation patterns. By analyzing data from the Bay of Bengal, they hope to refine climate models and better predict changes in the oceans as the planet warms.
Source: https://phys.org/news/2024-12-indian-ocean-exception-ekman-theory.html