Current meter
Current meter, 015
This current meter was constructed by Vagn Walfrid Ekman. A current meter is an instrument used in oceanography to measure the strength and direction of ocean currents. During the first Fram expedition 1893-96 it was the strong currents under the ice that pushed the Fram along, first towards the North Pole and then westwards and south out to the open sea by Svalbard. This sea area between Svalbard’s west coast and Greenland’s east coast was named the Fram Strait after the Fram had been released from the polar ice just here. Ocean currents are measured in units called sverdrup. One sverdrup (Sv) is equivalent to 1 million cubic metres of water a second and the unit is named after the world-famous oceanographer Harald Ulrik Sverdrup who was the scientific leader on the Maud expedition at the beginning of his career.