Subject: Geology

Institute: Science
Class: M. Sc. Semester II
Paper: GLM-204 (Micropaleontology and Oceanography)
Topic: Oceanography (Coriolis force, Ekman Spiral, Ekman
Transport)

Dr. Dinesh Kumar Naik

Assistant Professor
Department of Geology
Institute of Science
Banaras Hindu University
Varanasi 221 005
Email: [email protected]
Coriolis force:
The Coriolis force is an inertial or fictitious force that seems to act
on objects that are in motion within a frame of reference that
rotates with respect to an inertial frame.

In a reference frame with clockwise rotation, the force acts to the

Gaspard-Gustave de Coriolis
left of the motion of the object. In one with anticlockwise (or
counterclockwise) rotation, the force acts to the right.

Coriolis effect:
Deflection of an object due to the
Coriolis force is called the Coriolis effect.

This force causes moving objects on the

surface of the Earth to be deflected to the
right (with respect to the direction of
travel) in the Northern Hemisphere and to
the left in the Southern Hemisphere.
The Coriolis effect arises from the rotation of the Earth and its influence on moving
objects, including air and water currents. Here's why it occurs:
1.Rotation of the Earth: The Earth rotates on its axis from west to east, completing one
rotation approximately every 24 hours. This rotation impacts the movement of anything
traveling freely over the Earth's surface.
2.Differential Speeds: Different points on the Earth's surface move at different speeds
due to varying distances from the axis of rotation. Near the equator, the surface moves
faster compared to near the poles. For example, at the equator, the surface speed is
about 1670 kilometers per hour (about 1037 miles per hour), whereas, near the poles, it
is close to zero.
3.Conservation of Angular Momentum: An object moving from one latitude to another
conserves its angular momentum (the rotational speed and direction it had at its original
latitude). As a result, objects moving from the equator towards the poles or vice versa
appear to deflect sideways because they retain the eastward speed of their points of
origin.
1. In the Northern Hemisphere, this results in objects deflecting to the right of their
direction of travel.
2. In the Southern Hemisphere, objects deflect to the left.
4.Impact on Air and Water Currents: For fluids moving over long distances on the Earth's
surface, like ocean currents and wind, this deflection alters their paths. This is why
prevailing winds curve as they travel across the Earth and why ocean currents form spiral
patterns in the major ocean basins.
 Geological Significance of Coriolis effect on Earth's surface
1. Ocean Currents and Gyres: The Coriolis effect plays a crucial role in shaping ocean
currents and gyres. The deflection of ocean currents due to the Earth's rotation
influences the patterns of circulation in the world's oceans. These currents play a
significant role in redistributing heat, nutrients, and marine life across the planet,
affecting climate and marine ecosystems.

2. Atmospheric Circulation: The Coriolis effect is a major driver of atmospheric

circulation patterns, which in turn influence weather and climate. It leads to the
formation of distinct wind belts around the Earth, such as the trade winds and the
prevailing westerlies. These wind patterns affect weather systems and climate zones,
shaping precipitation patterns and temperature distribution.

3. Formation of Cyclones and Anticyclones: The Coriolis effect is responsible for the
rotation of cyclones and anticyclones in the atmosphere. Cyclones, such as hurricanes
and typhoons, exhibit a rotational pattern due to the Coriolis effect. This effect also
influences the counterclockwise rotation of low-pressure systems in the Northern
Hemisphere and the clockwise rotation in the Southern Hemisphere.
The reason the ITCZ is primarily near the equator involves several factors:

1.Solar Heating: The equator receives the most direct sunlight throughout
the year, creating a band of warm air that rises due to its lower density. This
creates a low pressure area near the surface, attracting moist air from the
higher pressure areas in the subtropics, which is cooler and denser.

2.Air Mass Convergence: The rising warm air at the equator leads to a
vacuum that pulls in cooler air from both the Northern and Southern
Hemispheres. This convergence of air masses occurs because warm air rises
and cooler air from the subtropics moves in to replace it, resulting in
continuous upward motion. This phenomenon is most pronounced at the
equator due to the maximum solar heating.

3.Weak Coriolis Effect: Near the equator, the Coriolis effect is minimal, which
allows the air to flow directly toward the low-pressure area without
significant deflection. This direct flow enhances the convergence of air
masses from the north and south.
Ekman Spiral
The Ekman spiral, named after Swedish scientist Vagn Walfrid
Ekman (1874-1954) who first theorized it in 1902,

Ekman spiral:
Ekman spiral is the spiral structure of water movement down the
water column formed due to the Coriolis effect, having reducing
current velocities in each layer with increasing depth.

It is a consequence of the Coriolis effect.

When surface water molecules move by the
force of the wind, they, in turn, drag deeper
layers of water molecules below them. Each
layer of water molecules is moved by friction
from the shallower layer, and each deeper
layer moves more slowly than the layer
above it, until the movement ceases at a
depth of about 100 meters (330 feet).

Like the surface water, however, the deeper

water is deflected by the Coriolis effect—to
the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to
the left in the Southern Hemisphere.
As a result, each successively deeper layer
of water moves more slowly to the right or
left, creating a spiral effect.

Because the deeper layers of water move

more slowly than the shallower layers, they
tend to “twist around” and flow opposite to
the surface current.
Ekman transport:
It refers to the wind-driven
net transport of the surface
layer of a fluid that, due to
the Coriolis effect, occurs at
90° to the direction of the
surface wind.

The direction of transport is

dependent on the hemisphere:
in the northern hemisphere,
transport occurs at 90°
clockwise from wind direction,
while in the southern
hemisphere it occurs at a 90°
counterclockwise.
 Geostrophic flow
Gyre rotation is dependent on the wind and the Coriolis Effect impacting the
surface currents. But the rotation is also affected by movement below the surface
due to Ekman transport. In the Northern Hemisphere, as the gyre rotates
clockwise the net movement of the Ekman transport is 90° to the right of the wind;
in other words, towards the center of the gyre. The Ekman transport piles up water
in the center of the gyre, making the water level higher in the gyre center than on
the edges of the gyres. This pile of water then has a tendency to flow back
“downhill” due to gravity. As the water flows “downhill” away from the gyre center, it
is deflected to the right by the Coriolis force. This results in a clockwise current
around the central “hill” called Geostrophic flow, which moves in the same
direction as the rotating gyre.
Water is thus pushed into the “hill” by Ekman transport, and away from the “hill”
by gravity, with both flows modified by the Coriolis Effect to create the rotation. As
with the gyres, geostrophic flow is clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere, and
counterclockwise in the Southern Hemisphere
Geological significance of Ekman transport:
The most important geological significance of this phenomenon is an Upwelling effect
in some coastal regions such as the west coast of North America.

Ekman transport is similarly at work in equatorial upwelling, where, in both

hemispheres, a trade wind component towards the west causes a net transport of
water towards the pole.

On smaller scales, cyclonic winds induce Ekman transport which causes net
divergence and upwelling, or Ekman suction, while anti-cyclonic winds cause net
convergence and downwelling, or Ekman pumping.

Ekman transport is also a factor in the circulation of the ocean gyres. Ekman transport
causes water to flow toward the center of the gyre in all locations, creating a sloped
sea-surface, and initiating geostrophic flow.