Abstract
The Coriolis parameter vanishes at the equator, and this distinguishes the dynamics of the equatorial zone from the oceanic dynamics at higher latitudes. Although the Coriolis acceleration due to the tangential component of the earth’s rotation vector remains different from 0 at the equator, for the large scales of motion under consideration in this chapter its effect is negligible. Whereas the horizontal pressure gradient outside the tropical zone is balanced by the Coriolis acceleration, its absence at the equator leaves the pressure gradient free to produce large relative accelerations.
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Pedlosky, J. (1996). Equatorial Dynamics of the Thermocline: The Equatorial Undercurrent. In: Ocean Circulation Theory. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-03204-6_6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-03204-6_6
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