The Benguela Current is a cold water mass circulating off the western coast of Africa in the Atlantic Ocean. It washes the western part of the mainland, coming from the south and rushing to the north, then to the northwest. The current is a movement that continues the flow of the West Winds and turns into the South Tradewind. Water circulation begins south of the Cape of Good Hope. It ends at the coast of the Namib Desert, which is located in the western part of Africa.
Temperature, flow and opening
The surface temperature of the stream in summer is from +18…+19 °C in the southern part, and up to +26 °C in the northern part. In winter, the Benguela Current cools down to +15…+22 °C, respectively. Water speed ranges from 1–2 km/h, not exceeding 20–25 cm/sec. S alt level - 35-35.5 ppm.
James Rennell is one of the earliest descriptions of the unusual movement of the flow off the coast of Africa. Back in 1832he wrote about the current, giving it the name "South Atlantic Benguela Current". Rennell wrote how it flowed along the coast of West Africa, tended to the equatorial strip, after which it turned west and became the Equatorial Current.
Features of the Benguela Current
The current is considered weak, passive. Cold currents of water expand the settlement of spectacled penguin colonies to 30 ° south latitude.
The Benguela Current is exposed to anomalous phenomena under the influence of the atmosphere. "Bengal Niño" - this is how the phenomenon was called, similar to the Pacific similar manifestation in the waters near Peru - El Niño. There were 3 cases that occurred in 1934, 1963, 1984. The width of the Benguela Current reaches 200–300 km in the south, gradually expanding to the north, where it is 750 km. It is known that the Indian Ocean is considered one of the sources of this current (about 25% of the transported mass).
Additional information
The current affects the microclimate, which is why precipitation is rare. This is due to cold air, which is denser and heavier than warm air.
Water movement is most clearly limited off the coast of the mainland and is more chaotic, changeable in the western part. The water volumes are 20–25 Sv. All of them are moved by the Benguela Current. In what ocean can you still see such characteristics? Such indicators do not make any special changes. Through hydroanalysis, the results demonstrated that the volume changeis within 20%.
Experts have detected the presence of a mesoscale active vortex field. It consists of large anticyclone rings with a warm center and atmospheric features with a cold center.
Summing up, we can give an answer to those who are interested in the question: Is the Benguela Current warm or cold? It is definitely cold, while having very strong characteristics, which have already been mentioned above. The current has been known for a long time, but hydrologists have begun to study it in detail relatively recently. In a short time, we managed to find out its origin and provide a short description. And this is due to the fact that the current is strong enough, and this poses a certain threat to navigation.
