South Atlantic Current

Short description: Eastward ocean current, fed by the Brazil Current

Earth's major ocean currents

The South Atlantic Current (SAC) is a cold, eastward ocean current which forms the southern part of the South Atlantic Gyre. It is fed by the Brazil Current, and the fraction of it which reaches the African coast feeds the Benguela Current. Its surface velocity is about 0.2 m/s and its average volume transport is about 30 Sverdrups, both being higher in the western portion and decreasing to the east.[1] It is continuous with the northern edge of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC). The SAC and ACC are distinguished by the subtropical front, a boundary at approximately 40°S where sea surface temperature and salinity decrease sharply from north to south.[1]

The seafaring is usually easier and thus safer in area of the South Atlantic Current than in the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, though also slower.

## See also

* Antarctic Circumpolar Current
* Ocean current
* Oceanic gyres
* Physical oceanography

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Stramma, Lothar; Peterson, Ray G. (1990-06-01). "The South Atlantic Current" (in EN). Journal of Physical Oceanography 20 (6): 846–859. doi:10.1175/1520-0485(1990)020<0846:TSAC>2.0.CO;2. ISSN 0022-3670. https://journals.ametsoc.org:443/view/journals/phoc/20/6/1520-0485_1990_020_0846_tsac_2_0_co_2.xml.

* "The South Atlantic Current". Ocean Surface Currents. University of Miami. 2003. http://oceancurrents.rsmas.miami.edu/atlantic/south-atlantic.html. Retrieved 2007-08-19.
* Stramma, Lothar, and Ray G. Peterson. “The South Atlantic current.” Journal of Physical Oceanography, vol. 20, no. 6, June 1990, pp. 846–859, https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0485(1990)020&lt;0846:tsac&gt;2.0.co;2.

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Ocean currents and gyres

Currents|

| Arctic Ocean|

* East Greenland
* North Icelandic
* Norwegian
* Transpolar Drift Stream

|

Atlantic Ocean|

* Angola
* Antilles
* Azores
* Baffin Island
* Benguela
* Brazil
* Canary
* Cape Horn
* Caribbean
* East Greenland
* East Iceland
* Falkland
* Florida
* Guinea
* Gulf Stream
* Irminger
* Labrador
* Lomonosov
* Loop
* North Atlantic
* North Brazil
* North Equatorial
* Norwegian
* Portugal
* Slope Jet
* South Atlantic
* South Equatorial
* West Greenland
* West Spitsbergen

Indian Ocean|

* Agulhas
* Agulhas Return
* East Madagascar
* Equatorial Counter
* Indian Monsoon
* Indonesian Throughflow
* Leeuwin
* Madagascar
* Mozambique
* North Madagascar
* Somali
* South Australian
* South Equatorial
* West Australian

Pacific Ocean|

* Alaska
* Aleutian
* California
* Cromwell
* Davidson
* East Australian
* East Korea Warm
* Equatorial Counter
* Humboldt
* Indonesian Throughflow
* Kamchatka
* Kuroshio
* Mindanao
* North Equatorial
* North Korea Cold
* North Pacific
* Oyashio
* South Equatorial
* Tasman Front

Southern Ocean|

* Antarctic Circumpolar
* Tasman Outflow

Gyres|

| Major gyres|

* Indian Ocean Gyre
* North Atlantic Gyre
* South Atlantic Gyre
* North Pacific Gyre
* South Pacific Gyre

|

Other gyres|

* Beaufort Gyre
* Ross Gyre
* Weddell Gyre

Related|

* Atmospheric circulation
* Boundary current
* Coriolis force
* Ekman transport
* Marine debris
* Marine garbage patches
* Great Pacific
* Indian Ocean
* North Atlantic
* South Pacific
* Thermohaline circulation

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