Henry Stommel explained a mechanism for the western intensification of wind-driven ocean currents. His 1948 basin model combined wind stress, a latitude-dependent Coriolis parameter and linear bottom friction; the resulting circulation concentrated streamlines on the western side.
The result connects a global transport balance with a narrow boundary current. Friction is essential to closing the circulation even when it is weak in much of the interior, illustrating why a small local effect can control the structure of an entire flow.[ref]
The westward intensification of wind-driven ocean currents by Henry Stommel. Original model and westward concentration of streamlines
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