Sverdrup (unit)

Physical unit
Unit name	Sverdrup
Unit symbol	${\displaystyle \mathrm {Sv} }$
Physical quantity (s)	Volume flow
Formula symbol	${\displaystyle I}$
dimension	${\displaystyle {\mathsf {L^{3}\;T^{-1}}}}$
In SI units	${\displaystyle \mathrm {1\,Sv=10^{6}\;{\frac {m^{3}}{s}}} }$
Named after	Harald Ulrik Sverdrup
Derived from	Cubic meter , second

Sverdrup is a unit of measurement for volume flows in oceanography, which is commonly used for ocean currents . It was named after the Norwegian oceanographer Harald Ulrik Sverdrup and describes the volume of water transported per time:

${\displaystyle 1\,{\rm {Sv}}=10^{6}\,{\frac {\rm {m^{3}}}{\rm {s}}}}$

Typical values ​​for ocean currents are:

• 100–150 Sv for the Gulf Stream
• 65 Sv for the Agulhas current

The abbreviation Sv also stands for the unit of the radioactive equivalent dose Sievert . Unlike the Sievert, the Sverdrup does not belong to the International System of Units . The risk of confusing the two units is low because they occur in completely different contexts.