| Ecosystem |
Agulhas Current |
| Type |
Sea/Bay/Gulf |
| Salinity |
saltwater |
| Other Names |
|
| Location |
|
LME SAU No 30. From Cape of Good Hope to Southern Tanzania. Includes Mozambique Channel (111). LME2002, LME2006, SAUP 2008. |
9° S 34° S - 18° E 57° E |
|
| Location Map |
agulhas-current.jpg |
| Size Ref |
|
River Length |
|
Area |
2626583 km2 |
Drainage Area |
|
|
| Depth |
|
Average Depth |
|
Max Depth |
|
Ref |
|
|
| Temperature |
|
| Description |
The Agulhas Current LME lies off the southeastern coast of Africa and includes the continental shelf of Mozambique and South Africa (up to the Cape of Good Hope), the Comoro Islands, and the islands of Madagascar and Mauritius. Its dominant oceanographic feature is the swift, warm current for which it is named and its precursors, the Mozambique and Madagascar Currents. While less productive than some other LMEs, it has a high species diversity, with >1500 species of fish recorded from its waters. The main threats to the system are overexploitation and pollution due to rapidly increasing population, urbanization, and industrialization. Sewage, industrial effluents, solid wastes, agricultural run-off, and oil spills are some of the problems requiring study and monitoring (http://www.na.nmfs.gov/lme/text/lme30.htm).
Check northern boundary; 26 S? Includes Reunion Island checklist. |
| Comments on faunal list |
Area from SAU (November 2015). |
| URL 1 |
http://www.seaaroundus.org/lme/30.aspx |
| URL 2 |
|
| Ecosystem Checklist Link |
|
| Total |
|
Species |
Families |
Species |
Families |
Reference |
|
1371 |
225 |
|
|
|
|
