Subsurface Circulation in the Somali Current

Abstract

Direct velocity measurements were made at intermediate depths along the East African coast from March to July 1979. Strong time-dependent flows with multiple reversals in direction were found in the upper 1000 meters between 3°N and 4°S. At 700 meters, there may be a connection between the southwestward coastal current and an equatorial jet observed at 49°E, the latter turning south near the coast. North of 3°N little spatial organization of the flow can be recognized.