Observation of a bottom Ekman layer in
currents observed on the shelf off northwest Africa in the
Canary Current upwelling region. The currents are
averaged over 29 days to remove tides and other
transient phenomena. Numbers indicate distance from the
bottom. At 25 m and 35 m above the bottom the
current is unaffected by bottom friction and does not
change with depth. Below 25 m from the bottom the current decreases in
strength and rotates in direction, to approach zero near the
bottom.
Adapted from Tomczak and Hao (1989).
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