1 The African Marginal and Enclosed Seas: An Overview
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Fig. 1.3 Indian Ocean surface currents in the African marginal basins. The colour coding shows
bathymetry (blue tones, darker means deeper waters), and vegetated to desert areas (green to yellow
and brown tones) over land (courtesy of JRC EC)
in eastward currents, while winds blowing from the northeast result in westward
currents. The Southwest (or Summer) Monsoon Current, located between 10
◦ N
and 15
◦ N latitude in the Arabian Sea, bends around the Indian sub-continent, and
enters the northeastern Indian Ocean. The Current is eastward from April through
November. As the current flows toward the northeast, Ekman transport (to the right of
the flow in the Northern Hemisphere) is offshore, transporting warmer waters deeper
into the Arabian Sea, and permitting upwelling of cooler waters along the coast. This
surface temperature pattern (cooler waters west of warmer waters) also reinforces
the northward current through geostrophic flow. The Northeast (or Winter) Monsoon
Current extends from the northeastern Indian Ocean, around the Indian sub-continent,
and across the Arabian Sea at a latitude around 8
◦ N. The current is westward only
during the months of January through March, and is strongest in February.
The Somali Current, running along the Horn of Africa between the equator and
about 9
◦ N, is a boundary current somewhat analogous to the Gulf Stream in the
11
Fig. 1.3 Indian Ocean surface currents in the African marginal basins. The colour coding shows
bathymetry (blue tones, darker means deeper waters), and vegetated to desert areas (green to yellow
and brown tones) over land (courtesy of JRC EC)
in eastward currents, while winds blowing from the northeast result in westward
currents. The Southwest (or Summer) Monsoon Current, located between 10
◦ N
and 15
◦ N latitude in the Arabian Sea, bends around the Indian sub-continent, and
enters the northeastern Indian Ocean. The Current is eastward from April through
November. As the current flows toward the northeast, Ekman transport (to the right of
the flow in the Northern Hemisphere) is offshore, transporting warmer waters deeper
into the Arabian Sea, and permitting upwelling of cooler waters along the coast. This
surface temperature pattern (cooler waters west of warmer waters) also reinforces
the northward current through geostrophic flow. The Northeast (or Winter) Monsoon
Current extends from the northeastern Indian Ocean, around the Indian sub-continent,
and across the Arabian Sea at a latitude around 8
◦ N. The current is westward only
during the months of January through March, and is strongest in February.
The Somali Current, running along the Horn of Africa between the equator and
about 9
◦ N, is a boundary current somewhat analogous to the Gulf Stream in the