Ocean Currents: Physical Drivers in a Changing World opens with a general introduction to the character, measurement, and simulation of ocean currents, leading to a physical and dynamical framework for understanding the wide variety of flows encountered in the oceans. The book comprises chapters covering distinct aspects of contrasting ocean currents: broad and slow, deep and shallow, narrow and swift, large scale and small scale, low latitudes and high latitudes, and moving in horizontal and vertical planes. Through this approach, the authors cover a wide range of applications, from local to global, with considerable geographical context.
1. Introduction to ocean currents
2. Global gyres/Ekman drift
3. Global western boundary currents and life
4. Global eastern boundary currents and life
5. Currents near the equator and fast trans-basin flows
6. Connecting oceans with upper ocean flows
7. Polar currents, icebergs and sea ice
8. Connecting shallow (warm) and deep (cold) currents with climate
9. Seasonal flows in shallow shelf seas (around the world) and implications for pollution/biology
10. Indigenous (ancient) knowledge of ocean currents
11. Utility of ocean currents for seafarers in recorded history
12. Research challenges and the future
Professor Robert Marsh holds a Chair in Oceanography and Climate at the University of Southampton. With disciplinary expertise in Physical Oceanography, he has a wide range of experience across ocean and climate science, and specifically an in-depth knowledge of ocean currents. Examples of applied studies include the influences of ocean currents on sea turtle hatchlings, volcanic pumice and icebergs. He also co-pioneered the development and use of ocean, climate and Earth System models, and the water mass transformation framework that provides a novel perspective on physical and biogeochemical processes in the oceans. He has extensive experience of undergraduate and postgraduate oceanography teaching, both in the classroom and in the field. He is the lead or co-author of around 100 peer-reviewed publications.
Dr Erik van Sebille is a Professor in Oceanography at Utrecht University, investigating the time scales and pathways of the global ocean circulation. His research focuses on how ocean currents transport heat and nutrients, as well as marine organisms and plastics between different regions. He has led the “Tracking Of Plastic In Our Seas” (TOPIOS) project, funded by European Research Council Starting Grant. He won the 2016 European Geosciences Union (EGU) Ocean Division Outstanding Young Scientist Award, a 2019 American Geophysical Union (AGU) James B. Macelwane Medal and the 2020 European Research Council (ERC) Public Engagement with Research Award in the category Press & media relations. He is the lead or co-author of more than 100 peer-reviewed publications.