OBSERVATIONS OF EXTREME UPWELLING FILAMENTS IN THE SOUTHEAST ATLANTIC-OCEAN

Cold oceanic water upwells along the western coastline of most major continents. The thermal front that demarcates the farthest seaward extent of this upwelled water is sometimes characterized by extensive whisps or cross-frontal filaments. These may play an important role in the functioning of the upwelling ecosystem as a whole. Satellite observations on filaments of the Benguela upwelling system show filaments that exceed 1000 kilometers in length. Two mechanisms that may produce the exceptional length of these filaments are interaction with Agulhas rings and the effect of intense berg winds.