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Merged Sea Surface Current Observations
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What are Sea Surface Currents?Currents are a measure of the movement, or circulation, of ocean waters. Ocean currents carry water over long distances. To some extent, currents have identifiable properties, such as temperature and salinity, which allow them to be backtracked to their place of origin. However, as the current moves, it also incorporates some chemical and physical properties of the adjacent waters through which it is flowing. Currents can be classified based on where we find them. Currents we can measure at the ocean surface extend down into the ocean interior, most often confined to the upper 400 meters of the ocean, though some of the strongest ocean currents can go much deeper. Deep currents found well below the ocean surface are very important to defining climate change over hundreds of thousands of years, and yet we know very little about them. The ocean is very big, and to describe the circulation requires current information at many locations and through time. Why are Sea Surface Currents important?Currents are important because they provide an efficient way to move material from one place to another. Accurate estimates of oceanic flow paths bring economic benefits and increase human safety. For example, understanding current patterns improve search and rescue operations, helps to track oil spills and other pollutants, aids in ship routing to save fuel and supports fishery management. Currents likewise transport nutrients, organisms and other biological and chemical constituents that are important for sustaining ocean life. A reliable database of currents is also critical for weather prediction, such as hurricane forecasting. Large ocean currents such as the Gulf Stream transport tremendous amounts of heat toward higher more temperate latitudes. Monitoring ocean heat transport is critical for understanding the earth's heat budget and associated global climate change. What is unique about this tool?SEACOOS collects ocean current observations from different sources, developing the spatial resolution needed for a comprehensive view of nearshore and offshore current patterns. Current observations are reported in near real-time from selected stations throughout the South Atlantic Bight. Due to the logistical constraints of deploying thousands of current meters throughout the continental shelf, very little is known about the spatial variability of ocean circulation patterns - particularly since much of the motion occurs below the surface. As a result, the ocean is severely 'undersampled' with respect to current observations. What is truly unique about this tool is the aggregation of many disparate observations, acquired in different ways, from different agencies and institutions. Through partnerships with other agencies and regional observatories, SEACOOS is trying to develop the clearest and most comprehensive view of currents within the SAB. The ability to view real-time observations, from across the region, is an extremely powerful tool for those who need accurate and extensive current measurements.
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