Sverdrup
Encyclopedia
The sverdrup, named in honour of the pioneering oceanographer Harald Sverdrup
, is a unit of measure
of volume
transport. It is used almost exclusively in oceanography
, to measure the transport of ocean current
s. Its symbol is Sv. Note that the sverdrup is not an SI
unit, and that its symbol conflicts with the sievert
's symbol. It is equivalent to 106 cubic metre
s per second (0.001 km3/s, or about 264 million U.S. gallons per second). The entire global input of fresh water
from rivers to the ocean is equal to about 1 sverdrup.
The water transport in the Gulf Stream
gradually increases from 30 Sv in the Florida Current
to a maximum of 150 Sv at 55°W longitude
. The heat carried within this volume equals roughly that transported through the atmosphere to make the relatively milder climate
of north-western Europe
.
Harald Sverdrup
Harald Ulrik Sverdrup was a Norwegian oceanographer and meteorologist who made a number of important theoretical discoveries in these fields. Having first worked in Bergen and Leipzig he was the scientific director of the North Polar expedition of Roald Amundsen aboard the Maud from 1918 to 1925...
, is a unit of measure
Unit of measure
Unit of measure may refer to:* Units of measurement for relevance to weights and measures* Unit of account for relevance in economics* Unit of Measure , a 2000 album by Tony Rice...
of volume
Volume
Volume is the quantity of three-dimensional space enclosed by some closed boundary, for example, the space that a substance or shape occupies or contains....
transport. It is used almost exclusively in oceanography
Oceanography
Oceanography , also called oceanology or marine science, is the branch of Earth science that studies the ocean...
, to measure the transport of ocean current
Ocean current
An ocean current is a continuous, directed movement of ocean water generated by the forces acting upon this mean flow, such as breaking waves, wind, Coriolis effect, cabbeling, temperature and salinity differences and tides caused by the gravitational pull of the Moon and the Sun...
s. Its symbol is Sv. Note that the sverdrup is not an SI
Si
Si, si, or SI may refer to :- Measurement, mathematics and science :* International System of Units , the modern international standard version of the metric system...
unit, and that its symbol conflicts with the sievert
Sievert
The sievert is the International System of Units SI derived unit of dose equivalent radiation. It attempts to quantitatively evaluate the biological effects of ionizing radiation as opposed to just the absorbed dose of radiation energy, which is measured in gray...
's symbol. It is equivalent to 106 cubic metre
Cubic metre
The cubic metre is the SI derived unit of volume. It is the volume of a cube with edges one metre in length. An alternative name, which allowed a different usage with metric prefixes, was the stère...
s per second (0.001 km3/s, or about 264 million U.S. gallons per second). The entire global input of fresh water
Fresh Water
Fresh Water is the debut album by Australian rock and blues singer Alison McCallum, released in 1972. Rare for an Australian artist at the time, it came in a gatefold sleeve...
from rivers to the ocean is equal to about 1 sverdrup.
The water transport in the Gulf Stream
Gulf Stream
The Gulf Stream, together with its northern extension towards Europe, the North Atlantic Drift, is a powerful, warm, and swift Atlantic ocean current that originates at the tip of Florida, and follows the eastern coastlines of the United States and Newfoundland before crossing the Atlantic Ocean...
gradually increases from 30 Sv in the Florida Current
Florida Current
The Florida Current is a thermal ocean current that flows generally from the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean. The current was discovered by Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León in 1513....
to a maximum of 150 Sv at 55°W longitude
Longitude
Longitude is a geographic coordinate that specifies the east-west position of a point on the Earth's surface. It is an angular measurement, usually expressed in degrees, minutes and seconds, and denoted by the Greek letter lambda ....
. The heat carried within this volume equals roughly that transported through the atmosphere to make the relatively milder climate
Climate
Climate encompasses the statistics of temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, rainfall, atmospheric particle count and other meteorological elemental measurements in a given region over long periods...
of north-western Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.