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East Australian Current (the EAC). Where is it? EAC Properties Warm, deep, fast, nutrient poor water 100 km wide by 500km deep 30 million m 3 /s transport!

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Presentation on theme: "East Australian Current (the EAC). Where is it? EAC Properties Warm, deep, fast, nutrient poor water 100 km wide by 500km deep 30 million m 3 /s transport!"— Presentation transcript:

1 East Australian Current (the EAC)

2 Where is it?

3 EAC Properties Warm, deep, fast, nutrient poor water 100 km wide by 500km deep 30 million m 3 /s transport! Well known for eddy formation (can be 200km across!)

4 Physical Description Balance of Ekman wind-stress and coastal friction (balance of wind curl and frictional vorticity) In S.H. : curl + or counterclockwise and friction vorticity – or clockwise Stommel- Coriolis term varies with latitude, strengthens W. Boundary EAC Surface EAC also strengthened (some) by deep->shallow shelf

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6 Wind field response drives separation (not New Zealand or bottom topography

7 Eddies Geostrophic balance: pressure balances coriolis Cyclonic clockwise around low-pressure cells and counterclockwise (anticyclonic around high pressure cells) IN S.Hemis!

8 Upwelling W. coast of Aus doesn’t have wind- driven upwelling Instead EAC “encroachment” towards coast pushes up isopycnals

9 References M. Roughan, J.H. Middleton / Continental Shelf Research 22 (2002) 2551–2572 K.R. Ridgway, J.R. Dunn / Progress in Oceanography 56 (2003) 189-222 http://www.cmar.csiro.au/remotesensing/oceancurrents/ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/view.php?id=15366


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