Physical oceanography

Physical oceanography

The scientific study of the physical conditions and processes related to the motions and physical properties of ocean currents and waters.

Industry: Earth science

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Physical oceanography

Western North Atlantic Water (WNAW)

Earth science; Physical oceanography

A water mass defined by Iselin (1936) and Pollard et al. (1991) to define water found in the North Atlantic Current. The WNAW definition can be subsumed into the broader definition of North Atlantic ...

Scirocco

Earth science; Physical oceanography

A warm, southerly wind in the Mediterranean region. Near the north coast of Africa the wind is hot and dry and often carries much dust. After crossing the Mediterranean, the scirocco reaches the ...

Geostrophic force

Earth science; Physical oceanography

A virtual force used to account for the change in direction of the wind relative to the Earth's surface. It results from the Earth's rotation and the Coriolis force.

Squall

Earth science; Physical oceanography

A violent wind that begins suddenly, lasts for a short time, and dies suddenly. It is sometimes associated with a temporary change of direction.

Williwaw

Earth science; Physical oceanography

A violent squall in the Straits of Magellan. This is a region where the winds are almost constantly strong and westerly.

Meteoric water line

Earth science; Physical oceanography

An equation expressing a correlation between deuterium and oxygen-18 in meteoric waters. The equation is expressed as del D = 8 * del oxygen-18 + 10.

Western Pacific Warm Pool (WPWP)

Earth science; Physical oceanography

An ENSO-related phenomenon conventionally defined as SSTs greater than or equal to 28 °C. It is a large area of heat accumulation in the global ocean and related to the development of El Nino.