Sverdrup Interior Transport
Compute signed Sverdrup interior transport per width and supplied strip transport; assumes steady linear vorticity balance, not a western boundary current or global circulation prediction.
Description
Sverdrup balance links wind-stress curl to interior meridional transport.
Sverdrup balance links wind-stress curl to interior meridional transport. Beta represents the northward change in Coriolis parameter.
Compute signed Sverdrup interior transport per width and supplied strip transport; assumes steady linear vorticity balance, not a western boundary current or global circulation prediction.
When to use Sverdrup Interior Transport
Use this tool to compute signed Sverdrup interior transport per width and supplied strip transport; assumes steady linear vorticity balance, not a western boundary current or global circulation prediction.
Gather the water, wave, current or profile observations and any supplied calibration constants. Confirm units and the stated coordinate and pressure conventions.
How to use Sverdrup Interior Transport and understand its results
- Gather the water, wave, current or profile observations and any supplied calibration constants. Confirm units and the stated coordinate and pressure conventions.
- Enter windStressCurlNPerM3, waterDensityKgPerM3, coriolisNorthGradientPerMeterSecond, interiorStripWidthM using the field table and calculation rules, then run the tool.
- Read northwardTransportPerWidthM2PerSecond, stripTransportM3PerSecond. The explanation below defines the units, signs, ordering and any flags or placeholder values.
- If the tool reports an input issue, correct the values and run it again. Apply the stated assumptions when interpreting a successfully returned result.
| Input field | Meaning | Value type; see rules below | Requirement |
|---|---|---|---|
| windStressCurlNPerM3 | Wind stress curl n per m3 | number | Required |
| waterDensityKgPerM3 | Water density kg per m3 | number | Required |
| coriolisNorthGradientPerMeterSecond | Coriolis north gradient per meter second | number | Required |
| interiorStripWidthM | Interior strip width m | number | Required |
Use positive density, nonzero signed beta and nonnegative strip width. Preserve signed curl and return transport per width and strip-integrated m³/s.1
northward transport/width = wind curl/(density × beta) Units, indexing, boundary conditions and exceptional cases are defined in the calculation rules above.
| Output field | Meaning | Value type |
|---|---|---|
| northwardTransportPerWidthM2PerSecond | Northward transport per width m2 per second | number |
| stripTransportM3PerSecond | Strip transport m3 per second | number |
{
"input": {
"windStressCurlNPerM3": 0.01,
"waterDensityKgPerM3": 1000,
"coriolisNorthGradientPerMeterSecond": 0.001,
"interiorStripWidthM": 10
},
"output": {
"northwardTransportPerWidthM2PerSecond": 0.01,
"stripTransportM3PerSecond": 0.1
}
}Limitations and assumptions
Steady linear interior balance excludes western boundary currents and global prediction.
Numbers and computed results must be finite; overflow produces an error. Missing required fields, extra fields, wrong value types and violations of the calculation rules are input errors.
Alternative or Complementary methods
Use Western Boundary Intensification Width: Compare Munk lateral-viscosity and Stommel linear-drag boundary scales under supplied positive beta; these are alternative ideal balances, not a combined current-width solution. For a complementary task, use Ekman Pumping Wind Curl: Compute vertical curl of stress/(rho f), including the supplied beta correction for eastward stress; positive is upward and no coordinate-derived Coriolis values are inferred.
References
-
Sverdrup Interior Transport — tool.io
Similar or alternative tools
- Western Boundary Intensification Width
Compare Munk lateral-viscosity and Stommel linear-drag boundary scales under supplied positive beta; these are alternative ideal balances, not a combined current-width solution.
- Ekman Pumping Wind Curl
Compute vertical curl of stress/(rho f), including the supplied beta correction for eastward stress; positive is upward and no coordinate-derived Coriolis values are inferred.