Impact of climate change on large scale coastal currents of South Africa

Abstract

The increase in equatorial temperatures and the presence of an ozone hole over Antarctica have caused an increase in the pole-to-equator pressure gradient with a concomitant intensification of the high-latitude westerlies (Cai et al., 2006). The transfer of momentum from the westerlies to the underlying Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC ) (Figure 1) has lead to a steady increase in ACC velocity. Since this current is in contact with the southern boundaries of the Southern Hemisphere subtropical gyre systems, a spinning up and southward shift of these basin scale gyres have been observed.