ARCTIC OCEAN

• Main Author: C. O’d. Iselin
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Subjects: Arctic; Arctic Ocean
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.502.5800; http://pubs.aina.ucalgary.ca/arctic/arctic7-3%264-195.pdf

T HE central problem in oceanography is to understand the movements of the water. This is true whether a study is primarily concerned with the p ysics, the chemistry, or the biology of the sea. Although the oceanographer deals with much slower movements than the meteorologist, he is beset by many of the same sorts of questions. T o both, the motions observed occur within a relatively thin fluid envelope on a rotating earth. T o both, the scale of the motions of interest covers a very wide range and both periodic and non-periodic motions are involved. Over most of the Oceans the winds and the currents interact in many subtle ways, and it is often difficult to distinguish between cause and effect. While it has become clear that ocean currents derive much of their energy from the winds, it is also evident that heating and cooling play a significant role. Some currents are almost pure wind currents; others are maintained largely because of regional differences in density. In most currents both causes are a t work, and it is usually extremely difficult to establish their relative importance. However, much of the theoretical work in oceanography has been in connection with wind currents, as theories that can help to explain