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Calcimator

Upwelling Index Calculator

Calculate coastal upwelling index from wind stress, latitude, and water density using Ekman transport theory.

Inputs

Pa
°
kg/m³

Results

Upwelling Index

116.63 m³/s/100m

Ekman Transport1.17 m³/s/m
Ekman Pumping Velocity10.08 m/day
Ekman Layer Depth48.6 m
Upwelling StrengthStrong
DirectionUpwelling
How to Use This Calculator
  1. Enter Wind Stress, Latitude, and Water Density.
  2. Review the Upwelling Index (m³/s/100m) result.
  3. Use Ekman Transport (m³/s/m) and Ekman Pumping Velocity (m/day) to inform your decision.

How the result changes with Water Density

Water DensityUpwelling Index
1,022116.97 m³/s/100m
1,025116.63 m³/s/100m
1,030116.06 m³/s/100m
1,034115.61 m³/s/100m

What each input means

Wind Stress
Alongshore wind stress in Pascals. Typical values range from 0.01 (light) to 0.5 (strong) Pa.
Latitude
Geographic latitude in degrees. Must be non-zero; Coriolis effect vanishes at the equator.
Water Density
Seawater density in kg/m³. Typical surface ocean values are 1024-1028 kg/m³.

How this is calculated

Worked example, using the default values

  1. Identify Input Parameters
    Wind Stress = 0.1, Latitude = 35, Water Density = 1025 = 3 input(s) provided
  2. Calculate Upwelling Index
    Upwelling Index
    116.63 = 116.63
  3. Calculate Ekman Transport
    Ekman Transport
    1.1663 = 1.1663
  4. Calculate Ekman Pumping Velocity
    Ekman Pumping Velocity
    10.077 = 10.077

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