Bengal Current - cold water masses circulating off the western coast of Africa in the Atlantic Ocean. Washes the western part of the mainland, coming from the south and rushing north, then northwest. The current is a movement that continues the stream of the West Winds and passes into the South Passatnoye. Water circulation begins south of Cape of Good Hope. Ends off the coast of the Namib Desert, which is located in western Africa.
Temperature, flow and opening
The temperature of the flow surface in summer is from + 18 ... + 19 ° C in the southern part, and up to +26 ° C in the northern. In winter, the Bengal Current cools to + 15 ... + 22 ° C, respectively.
The speed of water ranges from 1–2 km / h, not exceeding 20–25 cm / s. The salt level is 35–35.5 ppm.
James Rennell owns one of the earliest descriptions of the unusual flow movement off the coast of Africa. As early as 1832, he wrote about the current, giving it the name "South Atlantic Bengal Current". Rennell wrote how it flowed along the coast of West Africa, tended to the equatorial strip, then turned west and became the Equatorial Current.
Features of the Bengal movement
The current is considered weak, passive. Cold streams of water expand the colony of spectacled penguins to 30 ° south latitude.
The Bengal Current is subject to abnormal phenomena under the influence of the atmosphere. “Bengel Nino” is the name given to a phenomenon similar to a Pacific similar manifestation in the waters near Peru - El Nino. Three cases were noted that occurred in 1934, 1963, 1984. The width of the Bengal Current reaches 200–300 km in the south, gradually expanding to the north, where it is 750 km.
It is known that the Indian Ocean is considered one of the sources of this current (about 25% of the transferred mass).
Additional Information
The course affects the microclimate, which is why precipitation is quite rare. This is due to cold air, which is denser and heavier than warm.
The movement of water is most clearly limited off the coast of the mainland and has a more chaotic, variable character in the western part. Water volumes are 20–25 Sv. All of them are moved by the Bengal Current. In which ocean can such characteristics be seen? Such indicators do not make significant changes. Using hydroanalysis, the results showed that the volume change is within 20%.
Experts have discovered the presence of a mesoscale active vortex field. It consists of large anticyclone rings with a warm center and atmospheric signs with a cold focus.
Summing up, we can give an answer to someone who is interested in the question: is the Bengal current warm or cold? It is unambiguously cold, and at the same time it has very strong characteristics, which are already mentioned above. The flow has been known for quite some time, but hydrologists have begun its detailed study relatively recently. In a short time it was possible to find out its origin and provide a small description. And this is because the current is quite strong, and this poses a certain threat to shipping.