Re: [Paddlewise] A question about ocean currents and barometric pressure.

> Ralph Diaz wrote:  <snip> "...Even that "straightforward" movement is
> tricky enough because of the
> bottom surface of the passages involved.  To all of this you have to add
> the
> effects of wind, barometric pressure, any fresh water flow, phases of the
> moon, relative location of the moon in its orbit (perigee vs. apogee)."
>
> Quick question about the barometric pressure (bp) aspect of this.  I'd
> heard before that bp played a role in currents, but I'd always assumed it
> was solely due to the winds that result from changes in bp.  Does bp (or
> *changes* in bp) produce an effect on currents aside from the wind?  (I'm
> just trying to get a better handle on the underlying physics.)
>
> Evan Dallas
> Woodinville, WA

High pressure tends to depress the level of the water and therefore affects
the height of tides.  Low pressure the opposite.  And, as you indicate,
barometric pressures also affect winds.

ralph diaz

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