Langmuir circulation

E459379

Langmuir circulation is a wind-driven pattern of shallow, counter-rotating vortices in the upper ocean that organizes floating material into parallel streaks on the water surface.

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All labels observed (1)

Label Occurrences
Langmuir circulation canonical 1

Statements (48)

Predicate Object
instanceOf oceanographic phenomenon
physical ocean process
dependsOn Coriolis force at larger scales
stratification of the upper ocean
wave field properties
wind speed
fieldOfStudy marine physics
physical oceanography
hasCause Stokes drift of surface gravity waves NERFINISHED
interaction of wind-driven shear with surface waves
wind-driven surface shear
hasCharacteristic alignment roughly with wind direction
longitudinal roll vortices
organized parallel surface streaks
shallow counter-rotating vortices
hasConsequence impact on microplastic accumulation patterns
impact on pollutant dispersion
impact on primary productivity distribution
modification of gas exchange rates
hasEffect accumulation of floating material in streaks
convergence zones at the surface
divergence zones at the surface
enhanced turbulent mixing in the mixed layer
formation of windrows
redistribution of dissolved gases
redistribution of heat in the upper ocean
redistribution of momentum in the upper ocean
redistribution of nutrients
redistribution of plankton
vertical mixing in the upper ocean
isDescribedBy Craik–Leibovich theory NERFINISHED
isObservedAs lines of floating debris on the sea surface
lines of foam on the sea surface
lines of seaweed on the sea surface
isRelatedTo Stokes drift
air–sea interaction
ocean mixed layer dynamics
ocean turbulence
wind-driven surface currents
namedAfter Irving Langmuir NERFINISHED
occursIn ocean mixed layer
upper ocean
produces parallel windrows of debris
parallel windrows of foam
parallel windrows of seaweed
typicalDepth a few meters to tens of meters
typicalHorizontalScale tens of meters to hundreds of meters between streaks
typicalOrientation approximately parallel to the wind

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Irving Langmuir knownFor Langmuir circulation