Basic Principles of the General Oceanic Circulation 

 In the eastern part of the ocean, the eastern solution is valid in the form 



X J_ 

 r kr 



Xe 



1 



\ — g-k(r-x) 



587 



(XVIII. 19) 



It represents an exponential slippage zone with a width of approximately rr/k. 



If A 



10' cm^ sec-\ the width will be about 200 km. 



The complete circulation of an ocean shows pronounced east-west asymmetry. 

 The westward intensification of ocean currents is an effect of the planetary vorticity. 

 The asymmetry may be expressed by either of the ratios : 



My (west, cur.) 



—0'55kr or 



V3 



kr 



(XVin.20) 



My (cent, cur.) "' x (west. cur. axis) 



that is, by either the ratio of the maximum western current to the central drift, or by 

 the ratio of the width of the ocean to that of the western current. The asymmetry 

 increases with r, decreases with A and </>; for the Atlantic kr ^ 100. 



Along the western coasts of the continents there are relatively strong seasonal ocean 

 currents (California Current, Benguela Current, Peru Current), which cannot be 

 explained by the simple assumption of zonal winds. To cover these currents which are 

 also essentially dependent on winds, the theory must be expanded by the introduction 

 of corresponding meridional wind stresses. This solution also has been given by 

 Munk together with a general solution in which is introduced a general field of wind 

 stress associated with the large-scale atmospheric circulation. 



To demonstrate the ability of this theory of the general ocean circulation to express 

 the actual mean current conditions in an ocean, a theoretical solution for the Pacific 

 as an approximation for a triangular ocean is given for comparison with a recent 

 representation of currents based on observations in Figs. 267 and 268 (cf. Munk and 

 Carrier, 1950). 



It can be clearly seen that all the essential features of the current patterns are covered 

 by the theory. 



There is no doubt that the Stommel-Munk theory of ocean circulation explains the 

 large-scale geographic picture of the horizontal ocean currents in all oceans as a direct 

 effect of the permanent wind system over these oceans. There is very good qualitative 

 agreement between the water transport computed from wind distribution and that 



Fig. 267. The computed mass transport in an ocean of triangular form represented by 



stream lines. Between two neighbouring stream lines 6 million tons of water flow in the 



direction of the arrows per second. 



