The Ekman mechanism is also responsible for coastal upwelling
and downwelling. In
the northern hemisphere, if one is moving with the wind and the
coast is on the left, water will be transported away from the
coast by the Ekman mechanism. Deep water will be pulled up to
compensate for the lost surface water at the coast (upwelling).
If one is moving with the wind and the coast is on
the right, water is transported toward the coast and the surface
waters are driven downward (downwelling).
One can often see evidence of upwelling and
downwelling by examining sea surface temperatures.