New type of ocean current discovered

By Robert Shikina [e-mail] Scientists have discovered a zebra-stripe pattern of deep, wide and slow currents that cut east-west across the planet's oceans, each like a plodding conveyer belt at ...

[The Dogs Master]

Lots of current. No fish. Cannot feed the world from the Pacific Ocean.

[AHJ]

Niiler has been busting his buns getting these physical measurements accomplished over twenty years using drifter buoys he designed. There are hundreds of his buoys all over the oceans. The data from his drifters is the only source of the data behind these conclusions, and he deserves great credit for this. Without these measurements this pattern of striated currents would never have been deduced. And they could completely shift out understanding of the planets fluid dynamics.

For one thing the Niiler striations demonstrate that none of our models of ocean circulation are sufficiently accurate, as none of them predicted the Niiler striations even though all the major ones agree on accurately modeling temperature and salinity models. The measurements Niiler brought in, integrated in clever ways with satellite observation values, have produced previously invisible phenomena that have important implications for our understanding of the whole atmospheric/oceanic fluid system. Previous models --because of this-- have eben revealed as wanting in some important way.

But it is on these inaccurate models that most of our intricate analyses of global warming and CO2 build up are built. It is possible that the ocean currents he has dexcribed have very different effects in their scrubbing of CO2 than previously estimated. The Niiler striation patterns run deep, and the up-welling and down-welling in these bands may have important effects on the CO2 cycle.
I believe when the full impact of Niiler's long, underappreciated efforts on physical measurement of these currents is seen clearly, it may be colossal. In any case it should be appreciated as the important contirbution it is.

A.H. Jessup
San Diego

[Lovey]

Hooray for UH!!!

[Keal]

Wow! Science is awesome. With new technology, I'm sure other great things will be discovered.

[North Carolina]

Nobody knows the ocean better than Hawaii scientists! I sure wish I was in the beautiful Pacific, I've been here for 10 yrs and I haven't gone in the water.

[John Kamaka]

Hat's off to these UH scientists, 20 years is allot of time most will be happy to retire from.

But they plugged on and I'm sure had to endure some critic responses from the "established" community of "experts"?

Job well done, keep up the good work, because it does give the scientific agenda a new prospective.

Innovation is the key to creativity, otherwise we will only stagnate with the status quo.

[The Fish Master]

The Dogs Master wrote:

Lots of current. No fish. Cannot feed the world from the Pacific Ocean.

Lots of fish. You obviously have no skills to catch them or nevah wash hour hands cause the fish no like stinky bait.

"Fish Sustainably or Go Home"

[makaspaka]

AHJ wrote:

Niiler has been busting his buns getting these physical measurements accomplished over twenty years using drifter buoys he designed. There are hundreds of his buoys all over the oceans. The data from his drifters is the only source of the data behind these conclusions, and he deserves great credit for this. Without these measurements this pattern of striated currents would never have been deduced. And they could completely shift out understanding of the planets fluid dynamics.
For one thing the Niiler striations demonstrate that none of our models of ocean circulation are sufficiently accurate, as none of them predicted the Niiler striations even though all the major ones agree on accurately modeling temperature and salinity models. The measurements Niiler brought in, integrated in clever ways with satellite observation values, have produced previously invisible phenomena that have important implications for our understanding of the whole atmospheric/oceanic fluid system. Previous models --because of this-- have eben revealed as wanting in some important way.
But it is on these inaccurate models that most of our intricate analyses of global warming and CO2 build up are built. It is possible that the ocean currents he has dexcribed have very different effects in their scrubbing of CO2 than previously estimated. The Niiler striation patterns run deep, and the up-welling and down-welling in these bands may have important effects on the CO2 cycle.
I believe when the full impact of Niiler's long, underappreciated efforts on physical measurement of these currents is seen clearly, it may be colossal. In any case it should be appreciated as the important contirbution it is.
A.H. Jessup
San Diego

Wow, this is really impressive! Thanks for adding your mana'o to the article.

[llamaboiz]

this is all very interesting and all but my question is:

So how will knowing this help me pay my monthly bills?

OR...

What will happen to this current when the magnetic poles reverse?

[Curious]

Aren't these currents some of the currents that navigators like Mao Pialug and other non instrument navigators from the Pacific have been using for centuries to help guide them?

I wonder are these currents really just being "discovered" or is this stuff knowledge that other cultures have known for centuries?

When the stars are not shining these voyagers do not stop their journeys in the middle of the ocean. They use intimate knowledge of the currents to navigate.
If you read about the Polynesian Voyaging Society they learned from navigators from Micronesia. I wonder if they are due some credit here.

[oceanobserver]

Curious wrote:

Aren't these currents some of the currents that navigators like Mao Pialug and other non instrument navigators from the Pacific have been using for centuries to help guide them?
I wonder are these currents really just being "discovered" or is this stuff knowledge that other cultures have known for centuries?
When the stars are not shining these voyagers do not stop their journeys in the middle of the ocean. They use intimate knowledge of the currents to navigate.
If you read about the Polynesian Voyaging Society they learned from navigators from Micronesia. I wonder if they are due some credit here.

These Niller striations are deep deep below the surface of the ocean---far too deep for traditional navigation methods to take into account. Their effect on travel along the surface is nearly impossible to detect (hence it took decades to find them deep in the ocean and, only happened with measurements at those great depths) and neglible at best.

Good thought though----always give credit where credit is due. In this case, the credit goes to the researchers.