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

Stommel-Arons thermohaline circulation

Earth science; Physical oceanography

A model of global thermohaline circulation developed by Henry Stommel and Arnold Arons in a series of papers starting in 1961. This model combines sources of abyssal water at either pole, the ...

Principal interaction patterns (PIP)

Earth science; Physical oceanography

A method of reducing the complexity of a full covariance matrix by combining an EOF-type pattern expansion in the spatial domain with an ARMA-type dynamical modelling approach in the time domain. ...

Ferrel cell

Earth science; Physical oceanography

A mid-latitude mean atmospheric circulation cell for weather proposed by Ferrel in the 19th century. In this cell the air flows poleward and eastward near the surface and equatorward and westward at ...

Wave spectrum method

Earth science; Physical oceanography

A method of wave forecasting that describes the waves generated by storms in terms of a complete spectrum of periods and energies rather than in terms of a single significant wave height or period. ...

Modified Levantine Intermediate Water (MLIW)

Earth science; Physical oceanography

A modified form of Levantine Intermediate Water (LIW) found in the Adriatic Sea. It has a temperature of 14°C and a salinity of 38.7 psu.

Sea surface film

Earth science; Physical oceanography

A microlayer hundreds of microns thick located at the sea–air interface. These are the site of intense accumulation of organic matter from underlying waters or atmospheric deposition.