The Ekman spiral is a structure of currents or winds near a horizontal boundary in which the flow direction rotates as one moves away from the boundary. It derives its name from the SwedishoceanographerVagn Walfrid Ekman. The deflection of surface currents was first noticed by the Norwegian oceanographer Fridtjof Nansen during the Fram expedition (1893–1896) and the effect was first physically explained by Vagn Walfrid Ekman.
The pattern of water that appears to have created this pattern is known as an Ekman Spiral... "As a result, each successively deeper layer of water moves more slowly to the right or left, creating a spiral effect.
