The Agulhas Current

1. Front Matter

   Pages I-XIII

   PDF

2. Introduction

   Pages 1-16

3. Large-scale circulation of the South West Indian Ocean

   Pages 17-51

4. Sources of the Agulhas Current

   Pages 53-90

5. The northern Agulhas Current

   Pages 91-120

6. The southern Agulhas Current

   Pages 121-150

7. The Agulhas Current retroflection

   Pages 151-207

8. The Agulhas return flow

   Pages 209-231

9. The greater Agulhas Current: some reflections

   Pages 233-238

10. Back Matter

    Pages 241-329

    PDF

The Agulhas Current is one of the major currents of the world ocean. In the network of currents that connect the major ocean basins, it forms a key link. This linkage may be of critical importance in the way the ocean affects the earth's climate and climate change. Based on the research findings of 60 years, the author describes the origins of the Agulhas Current, its behaviour, its influence on the adjacent continental shelf, its effect on local weather as well as its role in linking the Indian and the Atlantic Ocean. The text is well-illustrated and includes small asides on the history of research on the Agulhas Current. An exhaustive bibliography gives easy access to present knowledge on this important current system.

• Atlantic Ocean
• Indian Ocean
• Indischer Ozean
• Ocean
• Ocean Currents
• Ozeanströmung
• Schelfzirkulation
• Shelf Circulation
• Wassermasse
• Water Masses
• ecotoxicology

From the reviews:

"Lutjeharms does a remarkable job of presenting the Agulhas to the wider community. His encyclopedic knowledge nicely draws together the many research studies devoted to the Agulhas Current system to produce an excellent, objective, and well-written analysis. … Professor Johann R.E. Lutjeharms has produced a truly scholarly work, drawing from a multitude of research papers, many from his own pen, and presenting to us with clarity the complex oceanography of the Agulhas Current system … . Johann: On target and well done!" (Arnold L. Gordon, Oceanography, Vol. 20 (1), 2007)

"A comprehensive and passionate survey of the collected general knowledge of the greater Agulhas Current system … . I highly recommend this book to all students and researchers of the greater Agulhas system. The author has succeeded in writing a book that will be considered a standard work for years to come. The book is very well written, nicely bound, and looks extremely attractive inside and out. … This book is a must for everyone working in or on the greater Agulhas Current system." (Will P. M. de Ruijter, Eos, Vol. 89 (10), 2008)

• Department of Oceanography, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, South Africa

  Johann R. E. Lutjeharms

Policies and ethics