The global distribution of wind-induced upwelling

The global distribution of wind-induced upwelling at the base of the surface Ekman layer has been computed from the COADS monthly wind stress from 1950 to 1988. In contrast to previous studies where the Ekman transport equations became invalid near the Equator, this paper computed upwelling right to the equator by incorporating friction in the surface transport equations. Comparing the seasonal changes in the equatorial upwelling between the Atlantic and the Pacific, we found that the Atlantic had the larger magnitude change while the Pacific had the larger latitudinal shift. The anomalous wind-induced upwelling/downwelling associated with El Niño were computed over several latitudinal bands in the Pacific by compositing the data from six El Nino events. By plotting the July zonally averaged upwelling anomalies in the Pacific in a latitude-time contour plot, we found northward phase propagation at about 3.5° latitude per decade in the low latitudes, a feature not found in the January upwelling. Long-term upwelling trends were computed and their potential influence on fisheries are discussed.