TITLE:
South Atlantic’s Surface Circulation: A Note
AUTHORS:
Kern E. Kenyon
KEYWORDS:
South Atlantic Ocean, Surface Circulation, Stronger Summer Currents
JOURNAL NAME:
Natural Science,
Vol.10 No.12,
December
10,
2018
ABSTRACT: SSTs of the South Atlantic
suggest there is a side by side surface circulation with north-ward cold water
to the east and southward warm water to the west. Then logic predicts that both
currents should be stronger in the southern hemisphere summer than in winter in
order to maintain the heat balance, because the upper 100 m of the water column
absorbs more solar energy in summer, especially at lower latitudes. This
prediction is confirmed by the seasonal variation of the deflection angle of
the sea surface isotherms in the middle of the ocean, measured counterclockwise
from the east, which are highest in summer and lowest in winter. It is assumed
that the stronger the north/south component of a current is, the greater the
deflection is of the isotherm from constant latitude.