| equatorial current n. One of the surface currents drifting westward through the oceans at the equator. |
equatorial current
ocean current flowing westward near the equator, predominantly controlled by the winds. Characteristically, equatorial-current systems consist of two westward-flowing currents approximately 600 miles (1,000 km) wide (North and South equatorial currents) separated by an eastward-flowing countercurrent only 300 miles (480 km) wide. Usually flowing at depths of less than 1,650 feet (500 m), equatorial currents travel at rates of 10 to 40 inches per second (25 to 100 cm per second). Equatorial undercurrents, centred on the equator at depths of 160 to 500 feet (49 to 152 m), flow eastward at rates up to 5 feet/s (1.5 m/s) and are approximately 1,000 feet (305 m) deep and 640 miles (1,030 km) wide.
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