On ocean currents produced by winds

Abstract

The effect of a steady wind blowing over the surface of the open sea is to produce a current which is inclined to the direction of the wind. The resultant drift of the water is perpendicular to the wind, but at the surface the current is at an inclination of 45° to the wind. These results hold when the sea may be treated as a plane sheet of water, when there are no obstructions and when the coefficient of eddy-viscosity is constant throughout the moving liquid. A comparison of the currents and winds at various places on the globe have been made by Jeffreys ( loc. cit. ) and again in greater detail by Durst. The conclusion is made that the angle between the current at the surface and the wind is generally less than 45°.