Ocean mechanics - Part 2

 

It's quite exciting that I have the entire mechanics of the ocean currents, ready to go.  That means you have all the fundamental forces, and you can start modelling with finite differences.  I don't include myself, because that is work, and I don't do that.

The problem I had was with the coast-hugging currents of warm water rising from the spin-well of the equator.  However, I just realized that it is the same physics as the cold currents.  This is all driven by convection which can be modelled by buoyancy forces.  We have gravity and spin as the main forces.

As convection works, it makes the warm water 'rise' against the spin force.  As each particle moves away from the equator, the spin force (angular momentum) drives it spin-ward (west).  The same happens to the cold as it sinks to the well, but the drive is anti-spin (east).  The cold collides in a giant mixing bowl, and shoots out a jet.  This is totally chaotic and you cannot model it, but you can put a box around it, and use probability for the outcomes.

The rising Gulf Stream always wants to climb up the beach, like pilot whales beaching themselves, but it can't do that.  There is a pressure of stagnant water (held up current) and 90% of the flow is off the continental shelf.  Good physics there.

These currents are generated by the excess mass of water in the accumulation zones, and the excess heat energy.  The last bit to figure out is the mechanics of these zones.  In the more normal conditions prior to 2016, these zones let out 'steam' by generating the big currents, but it wasn't enough.  Every 7 years, the West Pacific would have too much water, and would burst back to the east.  This was the El Nino, and could be seen by the current reversal, although the weather people don't do currents.

Naturally, all this is known and modelled, but the Great Influencer Spanish Inquisition shut it all down.  Now, the physics people just huddle in basements and try not to be found.  

Lots of minor questions could be solved by modelling.  What are these bursts of coherent flow that put out heat spikes?  These are the micro El Ninos that have been hitting us since 2016.  How do the accumulation zones separate hot water and throw out plumes?  Can we get a 'Magnitude' on these plumes like we do for earthquakes?

This is just the alternate world of the Scientific Method.  Naturally, all these things can be explained after the fact by folklore, but someday the populace may demand better forecasting of these things.

Please note (to the litigious) that nobody cares about physics and SM.  Just carry on and everybody will fall in line.

ps. since 2016, the main feed to the Pacific mixing bowl has switched from the north (warm because of detours) to the south (cold because of a straight feed along South America).  This is the Great Change bringing us an ice cycle.  I still can't figure out the difference between the long and short cycles).  

The great Pacific mixing bowl.