The electrical field induced by ocean currents and waves, with applications to the method of towed electrodes

Longuet-Higgins, M. S.; Stern, Melvin E.; Stommel, Henry M.

The electrical field induced by ocean currents and waves, with applications to the method of towed electrodes

1954

Longuet-Higgins, M. S. | Stern, Melvin E. | Stommel, Henry M.

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the natureof the electrical field induced in the ocean byparticular types of velocity distribution. It isbelieved that these examples will be helpful in theinterpretation of measurements by towed electrodesin the sea.The electrical field induced by waves and tidalstreams, originally predicted by Faraday (1832),was first measured experimentally by Young,Gerrard and Jevons (1920), who used bothmoored and towed electrodes in their observations.Recently, the technique of towed electrodes hasbeen developed by von Arx (1950, 1951) andothers into a useful means of detecting watermovements in the deep ocean. While the methodhas been increasingly used, the problem of interpretingthe measurements in terms of water movementshas become of great importance. Two of thepresent authors have made theoretical studies(Longuet-Higgins 1949, Stommel 1948) dealingwith certain cases of velocity fields, and Malkusand Stern (1952) have proved some importantintegral theorems. There seems, however, to be aneed for a more extended discussion of the principlesunderlying the method, and for the computationof additional illustrative examples. This isall the more desirable since some of the theoreticaldiscussions published previously have been misleading.

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