The total transport resulting from a balance between the Coriolis force and frictional stress at the bottom. The Ekman transport is where τ is the stress, ρ is the density, and f is the Coriolis param [..]

is the total average flow, integrated over depth, and is 90 degrees to the right (left) of the wind in the N. (S.) hemisphere. It is the convergence and divergence of Ekman transport and the resulting flow that set up the large-scale SCALE OCEAN GYRES.

 process by which each layer of water in the ocean drags with it the layer beneath, thus the movement of each layer of water is affected by the movement of the layer above. Each successive layer feels the force of the surface layer a little less, sort of like the way words get jumbled in a game of telephone little by little as they pass from player [..]

The net transport of surface water set in motion by wind. Because transport is the sum of layer movement due to the theoretical Ekman spiral, it moves in a direction 90°to the right of the wind in the Northern Hemisphere and 90°to the left of the wind in the Southern Hemisphere.

Because of the Earth's rotation, the surface ocean transport induced by the wind is directed (outside the equatorial regions) to the right of the prevailing wind in the Northern Hemisphere and to [..]