Is the Leeuwin current fast?

Is the Leeuwin current fast?

Typically the Leeuwin Current’s speed and its eddies are about 1 knot (50 cm/s), although speeds of 2 knots (1 m/s) are common, and the highest speed ever recorded by a drifting satellite-tracked buoy was 3.5 knots (6.5 km/h).

What causes the Leeuwin current?

The Leeuwin Current (LC) is a warm, poleward flowing ocean boundary current off the west coast of Australia (Cresswell and Golding 1980), driven by the large-scale meridional pressure gradient in the southeast Indian Ocean which is set up by the Indonesian Throughflow and thermohaline forcing (Godfrey and Ridgway 1985; …

How does the Leeuwin current work?

The Leeuwin Current occurs because of the “gap” between Australia and Indonesia that connects the Pacific and Indian Oceans. The easterly winds over the Pacific Ocean pile warm water up on the western side of the ocean basin. This increases the sea level through the Indonesian archipelago.

Where does the Leeuwin current end?

The Leeuwin Current is a warm, low nutrient ocean current that originates near North West Cape and flows southwards down the WA coast before turning east at Cape Leeuwin and continuing across the Great Australian Bight, even as far as Tasmania.

How long is the Leeuwin Current?

5,500 kilometres
At 5,500 kilometres, the Leeuwin is our longest ocean current! One of Australia’s most influential natural features, the Leeuwin Current, has been confirmed as the longest continuous coastal current system in the world.

How is the Leeuwin Current different from other currents?

Unlike other currents along the subtropical west coasts of continents, the Leeuwin Current off Western Australia transports warm, fresh tropical waters poleward and is strong enough to overwhelm the upwelling tendencies of the coastal wind stress.

Where is the western boundary current?

Gulf Stream
The Gulf Stream is a powerful western boundary current in the North Atlantic Ocean that strongly influences the climate of the East Coast of the United States and many Western European countries. Click the image for a larger view. One particularly powerful western boundary current is the Gulf Stream.

Is Agulhas current warm or cold?

One of the fastest-flowing currents in any ocean, it reaches an estimated top speed of 5.8 miles (9.3 km) per hour off the southeast coast of South Africa. Because it is fed from lower latitudes, the Agulhas Current is warm, ranging in temperature from 57 to 79 °F (14 to 26 °C) at the surface.

Who discovered the Leeuwin Current?

During the 1970’s, drifting buoys and satellite images conclusively showed a warm tropical current flowing down the West Australian coast and around Cape Leeuwin. It was named the Leeuwin Current by researchers George Cresswell and Terry Golding.

What is the difference between eastern and western boundary currents?

To move the same volume of water through each side, western boundary currents are faster, deeper, and narrower than eastern boundary currents. In the same way, western boundary currents are not only faster, but also deeper than eastern boundary currents, as they move the same volume through a narrower space.

What drives western boundary current?

1 Wind-Driven Currents. The warm western boundary currents such as the Gulf Stream and the Kuroshio and their associated mid-ocean drift currents play an important role in meridional energy transport in the oceans.

Is the Benguela Current strong?

The Benguela current as represented by the Mariano Global Surface Velocity Analysis (MGSVA). The Benguela Current flows through a strong, biologically productive upwelling region, and advects cool waters to the tropics. This water is warmed and is one of the source waters for the South Equatorial Current.

Where does the Leeuwin Current start and end?

(Composite 15-day image showing the extension of the Leeuwin Current around Tasmania) The Leeuwin Current is a warm ocean current which flows southwards near the western coast of Australia. It rounds Cape Leeuwin to enter the waters south of Australia where its influence extends as far as Tasmania .

How does the Leeuwin Current help Western Australia?

Evaporation from the Leeuwin current during this period contributes greatly to the rainfall in the southwest region of Western Australia .

How is the Leeuwin Current affected by El Nino?

Leeuwin Current. The Leeuwin Current is influenced by El Niño conditions, characterised by slightly lower sea temperatures along the Western Australian coast and a weaker Leeuwin Current, with corresponding effects upon rainfall patterns. The existence of the current was first suggested by William Saville-Kent in 1897.

Where does Cape Leeuwin enter the Australian Ocean?

It rounds Cape Leeuwin to enter the waters south of Australia where its influence extends as far as Tasmania .