Mozambique Current
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The Mozambique Current is an ocean current in the Indian Ocean, usually defined as warm surface waters flowing south between the African east coast in the vicinity of Mozambique and the island of Madagascar.
The classical definition of the Mozambique Current is that it is driven by the Indian Ocean's South Equatorial Current, pushed southwards along the African coast by the trade winds in the Indian Ocean. Part of that current runs east of Madagascar, but the rest forms the Mozambique Current.
Modern research has challenged that assumption, and indicates that rather than strong flow in the overall Indian Ocean circulation pattern, there may instead be a series of local anti-cyclonic current loops in the channel, largely independent of the larger Indian Ocean flow patterns, along with a deep cold water flow going north along the channel bottom which originates in deep Atlantic waters. [link] [link] [link] [link]
See also
External references
- [New Concepts on the Flow in the Mozambique Channel]
- [Mozambique Channel Drogue Study]
- [Delagoa Bay Drifter Study]
- [Satellite Observations of the Agulhas Current System]
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