2 research outputs found
Surface currents in operational oceanography: Key applications, mechanisms, and methods
This paper reviews physical mechanisms, observation techniques and modelling approaches
dealing with surface currents on short time scales (hours to days) relevant for operational
oceanography. Key motivations for this article include fundamental difficulties in reliable
measurements and the persistent lack of a widely held consensus on the definition of surface
currents. These problems are augmented by the fact that various methods to observe and
model ocean currents yield very different representations of a surface current. We distinguish
between four applicable definitions for surface currents; (i) the interfacial surface current, (ii) the
direct wind-driven surface current, (iii) the surface boundary layer current, and (iv) an effective
drift current. Finally, we discuss challenges in synthesising various data sources of surface
currents - i.e. observational and modelling – and take a view on the predictability of surface
currents concluding with arguments that parts of the surface circulation exhibit predictability
useful in an operational context