Different phytoplankton communities color theocean different shades of blue and green off thesouthern coast of South Africa in the December 22, 2000,Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-View Sensor (SeaWiFS) passover the area.
The convergence of two currents—the cold Benguela flowing North along the west coastof Africa, and a branch of the warm Agulhas heading west along the southerntip of the continent—causes upwelling cold, nutrient-rich water which feeds. Thephytoplankton. The mixing cam also generate huge waves, making these waters verytreacherous to sail.
To learn more about the Benguela and Algulhas Currents,read A Clear Day Over the Agulhas Retroflection
References & Resources
Image courtesy SeaWiFS Project, NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, and ORBIMAGE
