Ekman Transport
D1. Physical and chemical oceanography and marine meteorologyDefinition
Net horizontal mass transport in the Ekman layer, perpendicular to wind direction.
Ekman transport is the depth-integrated horizontal mass transport in the wind-driven surface Ekman layer. Its magnitude is the wind stress divided by the Coriolis parameter (tau/f), and it points 90 degrees to the right of the wind in the Northern Hemisphere, 90 degrees to the left in the Southern. Convergence and divergence of Ekman transport drive Ekman pumping, coastal upwelling, and the gyre-scale wind-driven circulation.