Western Boundary Current

Western boundary currents are the narrow, swift, deep poleward flows on the western edge of subtropical gyres that close the Sverdrup interior transport. The asymmetry, strong on the west and weak in the broad interior, follows from the poleward increase of the Coriolis parameter (the beta-effect), shown by Stommel and Munk. The Gulf Stream, Kuroshio, Agulhas, and Brazil currents are the major examples, carrying tens of sverdrups and large poleward heat.