Sverdrup transport

hydrology

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July 14, 2026

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Sverdrup transport refers to the pattern of ocean currents driven by wind. This phenomenon is explained by the Ekman layer, a region of the ocean extending to about 100 meters deep, where wind stress is balanced by the Coriolis force and friction.12

The average water particle within the Ekman layer moves at a 90-degree angle to the wind. This movement, known as Ekman transport, results in either convergence or divergence of surface water. Convergence leads to downwelling, while divergence causes upwelling. These vertical movements are crucial as they extend wind-driven effects into deeper waters and significantly impact marine productivity. The overall pattern of these wind-driven currents is termed Sverdrup transport. A unit of ocean water flow, the sverdrup (Sv), is named after Norwegian oceanographer H.U. Sverdrup.123

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Ekman layer
…Ekman transport is called the Sverdrup transport, after the Norwegian oceanographer H.U. Sverdrup, who formulated the basic theory in 1947. Several years later (1950), the American geophysicist and oceanographer Walter H. Munk and others expanded Sverdrup’s work, explaining many of the major features of the wind-driven general circulation by using…
Read More
…Ekman transport is called the Sverdrup transport, after the Norwegian oceanographer H.U. Sverdrup, who formulated the basic theory in 1947. Several years later (1950), the American geophysicist and oceanographer Walter H. Munk and others expanded Sverdrup’s work, explaining many of the major features of the wind-driven general circulation by using…
Read More

ocean current
Ekman layer
…Ekman transport is called the Sverdrup transport, after the Norwegian oceanographer H.U. Sverdrup, who formulated the basic theory in 1947. Several years later (1950) the American geophysicist and oceanographer Walter H. Munk and others expanded Sverdrup’s work, explaining many of the major features of the wind-driven general circulation by using…
Read More
…Ekman transport is called the Sverdrup transport, after the Norwegian oceanographer H.U. Sverdrup, who formulated the basic theory in 1947. Several years later (1950) the American geophysicist and oceanographer Walter H. Munk and others expanded Sverdrup’s work, explaining many of the major features of the wind-driven general circulation by using…
Read More