Editing Cromwell Current (section)

{{short description|Eastward-flowing subsurface current that extends along the equator in the Pacific Ocean}}
[[File:Corrent_Cromwell_acabant_en_Galàpagos.png | thumb | right]]
The '''Cromwell Current''' (also called '''Pacific Equatorial Undercurrent''' or just '''Equatorial Undercurrent''') is an eastward-flowing [[subsurface current]] that extends the length of the [[equator]] in the [[Pacific Ocean]].

The Cromwell Current was discovered in 1952<ref>Cromwell, Townsend (1953). "Circulation in a meridional plane in the central equatorial Pacific." ''[[Journal of Marine Research]]'' '''12''' 196-213.</ref><ref>Cromwell, T., Montgomery, R. B., and Stroup, E. D. (1954). [http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/pdf_extract/119/3097/648 "Equatorial undercurrent in the Pacific Ocean revealed by new methods."] ''Science'' '''119''' (3097) 648-649.</ref> by [[Townsend Cromwell]], a researcher with the Honolulu Laboratory of the Fish and Wildlife Service (later the [[United States Fish and Wildlife Service]]). It is {{convert|250|mi|nmi km}} wide and flows to the east. It is hidden {{convert|300|ft}} under the surface of the [[Pacific Ocean]] at the [[equator]] and is relatively shallow compared to other ocean currents being only {{convert|100|ft}} from top to base. It is a powerful current with top velocities of up to 1.5 m/s (2.9 knots; 3.4 mph). The current's core coincides with the [[thermocline]] and its distance from the parallel [[Equatorial Counter Current]] is approximately {{convert|300|km|mi nmi}}.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Knauss|first=John A.|year=1959|title=Measurements of the Cromwell current|journal=Deep Sea Research|volume=6|pages=275–286}}</ref> It has 1,000 times the volume of the [[Mississippi River]] and its length is {{convert|3,500|mi|nmi km}}.
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