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Equatorial oceanography
Author(s) -
O'Brien James J.
Publication year - 1979
Publication title -
reviews of geophysics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 8.087
H-Index - 156
eISSN - 1944-9208
pISSN - 8755-1209
DOI - 10.1029/rg017i007p01569
Subject(s) - equator , upwelling , geology , latitude , equatorial waves , kelvin wave , earth's rotation , geophysics , acceleration , climatology , oceanography , physics , atmospheric sciences , geodesy , classical mechanics
The equatorial ocean has always captured the attention of oceanographers. Almost all medium‐to‐large scale oceanic motions are dominated by the effect of the earth's rotation, the Coriolis acceleration. At the equator, this apparent acceleration vanishes and very special physics apply. The most striking phenomena is upwelling that occurs in a narrow latitude band a few degrees wide along the equator due to the prevailing easterlies (westward winds).