Definition
A sustained wind generates a surface drift of roughly 2 to 3 per cent of wind speed, so a 30-knot blow gives close to 0.7 knots. Ekman transport deflects the mean flow of the wind-driven layer about 90 degrees, to the right in the northern hemisphere, with the surface layer itself deflected some 20 to 45 degrees. Over long ocean legs this adds meaningfully to the tidal and current allowance in the plan.
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