Henry Melson Stommel

Henry Melson Stommel,  (born Sept. 27, 1920Wilmington, Del., U.S.—died Jan. 17, 1992Boston, Mass.), American oceanographer and meteorologist.

Stommel became internationally known during the 1950s for his theories on circulation patterns in the Atlantic Ocean. He suggested that the Earth’s rotation is responsible for the Gulf Stream along the coast of North America, and he theorized that its northward flow must be balanced by a stream of cold water moving southward beneath it. He proposed a global circulation in which surface water sinks in the far north to feed the deep, south-flowing current, while water rises in the Antarctic region to ... (100 of 259 words)

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