Abstract
In this chapter, a general overview and characterization of ocean current resources for potential power generation in the global oceans are presented. They are based on analysis of two relatively long data sets of surface drifter-observed mixed-layer current and the satellite altimeter-derived surface geostrophic current. Spatial and temporal variations of the four most prominent western boundary currents—the Kuroshio, Mindanao, Gulf Stream, and Agulhas currents—and their available mean undisturbed ocean power densities are discussed. Several potential sites for ocean current power generation in the North Pacific , South China Sea, and Oceania are identified based on a criterion formulated by combining the frequency with which the ocean currents occur, the magnitudes of their speed, the water depths at which they occur, and their distances from the shore.
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