On the existence of a deep countercurrent to the Norwegian coastal current in Skagerrak

Current measurements indicate that there is a semi-permanent countercurrent below the Norwegian coastal current in Skagerrak. Comparison with local windstress, earlier findings from laboratory experiments and model simulations indicates that the Coriolis force, horizontal pressure gradients and vertical entrainment by the surface current may be the driving forces of this countercurrent, while the windstress is a modifying factor.