Abstract
PHOTOGRAPHS and visual observations made by astronauts aboard Skylab have revealed remarkable eddies embedded in warm-water currents flowing poleward from equatorial oceans. These visual displays of mesoscale turbulence provide us with (1) a concept of the size and shape of such features, (2) an opportunity to examine the places of origin, (3) a feel for the rate at which they coalesce, and grow downstream, and (4) the opportunity to ascertain their significance in the thermal energy regime of the oceans.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Spilhaus, A. F., J. mar. Res., 3, 51–75 (1940).
Stommel, H., The Gulf Stream, 2nd edit. (University of California Press, Berkeley and Los Angeles, 1965).
Baranov, Ye. I., Oceanology, 7, 61–65 (1967).
Wüst, G., Stratification and Circulation in the Antillean-Caribbean Basins, 1, Spreading and Mixing of the Water Types with an Oceanographic Atlas, 201 (Columbia University Press, New York, 1964).
Schubauer, G. B., and Tchen, C. M., Turbulent Flow, 123 (Princeton University Press, Princeton, 1961).
Liepman, Hans, in Mechanics of Turbulence, 211–227 (Gordon and Breach, 1961).
Brown, G. L., and Roshko, A., J. Fluid Mechs (in the press).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
STEVENSON, R. Observations from Skylab of mesoscale turbulence in ocean currents. Nature 250, 638–640 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1038/250638a0
Received:
Revised:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/250638a0
This article is cited by
-
Physical mechanisms of submesoscale eddies generation: evidences from laboratory modeling and satellite data in the Black Sea
Ocean Dynamics (2019)
-
Oceanographic implications of features in NOAA satellite visible imagery
Boundary-Layer Meteorology (1980)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.
