Global Energy-saving Map of Strong Ocean Currents

Abstract

This study provides a global, detailed, and complete energy-saving map of strong ocean currents from the absolute geostrophic velocities calculated from satellite altimetry data, with the focus on the strong Western Boundary Currents (WBCs) in the global ocean. Theoretically the WBCs with speeds of 2-3 knots can reduce fuel consumption by 25-50% for vessels at a sailing speed of 6 knots. The fuel savings are greater for a lower sailing speed than for a higher sailing speed. For about 1-8 million motorised fishing vessels with a lower ship speed, strong currents can evidently save fuel, time and money. Since global fishing vessels generate roughly 130 million tonnes of CO2 per annum (FAO, 2012), effective utilisation of the energy-saving map could significantly reduce CO2 emissions from ship operations.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 2015
Accession Number
ADA622298

Entities

People

  • Huan-jie Shao
  • Peter Cheng Chu
  • Ruo-shan Tseng
  • Yu-chia Chang

Organizations

  • Naval Postgraduate School

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Altimetry
  • Artificial Satellites
  • Boundaries
  • Decision Support Systems
  • Energy Consumption
  • Energy Efficiency
  • Fuel Consumption
  • Geography
  • Geostrophic Currents
  • Gulf Stream
  • Navigation
  • Ocean Currents
  • Oceanography
  • Oceans
  • Pacific Ocean
  • Sea Water
  • Topography

Fields of Study

  • Environmental science

Readers

  • Atmospheric Science/Meteorology
  • Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering.
  • Oceanography.

Technology Areas

  • Space
  • Space - Hall-Effect Thruster