Electric field in sea currents, induced by the horizontal component of the geomagnetic field

Abstract

In order to make horizontal sections in the current velocity field and to study the velocity's spatial variability using an electromagnetic current meter (EMCM), one must know the nature and value of the electrostatic field in the areas of variable velocity, which proves to hamper measurements. Formulae have been derived to calculate the electrostatic field induced by water mass motion relative to the geomagnetic field's horizontal component. Interferences have been assessed, in the areas having different geomagnetic latitudes. At high and middle latitudes, interferences may be neglected. Interferences have been estimated at low latitudes, specifically in the equatorial areas, where the geomagnetic field's vertical component tends to decrease, whereas the horizontal one increases. In this paper, the issue of employing an EMCM to perform horizontal sections in the equatorial currents system, specifically in the subsurface countercurrent, is addressed.