Agulhas Current

Many people in the United States know about the Gulf Stream, the impressive boundary current along the eastern U.S. coast that carries large amounts of heat poleward and, after separation from the coast, across the North Atlantic. Its impact on warming the eastern United States and the North Atlantic region including western Europe is also well known to the general public. But who in the United States knows about the Agulhas Current? This warm, western boundary current of the southern Indian Ocean flows southward along the continental slope of the African continent and is about as large as the Gulf Stream. It brings heat and moisture to the coastal regions of southeastern Africa. Variations in its transport lead to significant rainfall anomalies over this region. On a larger scale, its influence may even extend as far as the North Atlantic.