The method proposed by Stommel and Schott (1977) to calculate absolute currents from geostrophic currents and isopycnal slopes is reformulated to include compressibility for the use of in situ density and temperature. It is found that the compressibility terms in the equation based on in situ density are quite important already in the upper few hundred meters. For a data set from the western North Atlantic, absolute current calculations are presented for in situ density, potential density, temperature, potential temperature, salinity, and specific volume anomaly, and they all yield similar results. The use of specific volume anomaly in Schott and Stommel's (1978) analysis does not seem to be the cause of the observed depth tendency.