192
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Fig. 3. Monthly averages of temperature and salinity from the west coast of South Africa and the
Agulhas Bank
The western side of the Bank appears subject to the most diverse influences, as a result
of a shifting dynamic equilibrium between the terminal parts of the Agulhas Current,
the upwelling water in the southern fringes of the Benguela Current system and the
northward encroachments of the eddy system centered around the Schmidt-Ott Seamount
complex.
The main body of water overlying the Bank appears to be a discrete entity with
characteristics of its own. The temperature curves (Fig. 3) show a well-mixed water in the