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Benguela Current
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broad, northward flowing ocean current that forms the eastern portion of the South Atlantic Ocean gyre
~7 min read
Encyclopedic overview
Benguela Current in the South Atlantic Gyre The Benguela Current /bɛŋˈɡɛlə/ is the broad, northward flowing ocean current that forms the eastern portion of the South Atlantic Ocean gyre. The current extends from roughly Cape Point in the south, to the position of the Angola-Benguela Front in the north, at around 16°S. The current is driven by the prevailing south easterly trade winds. Inshore of the Benguela Current proper, the south easterly winds drive coastal upwelling, forming the Benguela Upwelling System. The cold, nutrient rich waters that upwell from around 200–300 m (656–984 ft) depth in turn fuel high rates of phytoplankton growth, and sustain the productive Benguela ecosystem.
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Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Benguela Current” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.