Accueil > Term: beta spiral
beta spiral
In oceanography, the turning of the current vector that arises from stratified geostrophic flow when density is conserved following a parcel (as is approximately the case in the oceanic thermocline). If θ is the angle of the current, U is its magnitude, f is the Coriolis parameter, g is the gravitational acceleration, and w is the vertical velocity, then ∂θ/∂z = −(gw/fU2)(∂/∂z), so that moving upward in the water column, currents will spiral clockwise in upwelling zones, and counterclockwise in downwelling zones.
- Partie du discours : noun
- Secteur d’activité/Domaine : Météo
- Catégorie : Météorologique
- Company: AMS
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Créateur
- Kevin Bowles
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