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Nature 421, 904-905 (27 February 2003) | doi:10.1038/421904a

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Oceanography: The brawniest retroflection

Arnold L. Gordon

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The influence of the Agulhas system of currents and eddies around southern Africa extends far beyond that region. Hence the especial need for a better understanding of the complex phenomena involved.

An intriguing class of ocean-circulation pattern is that exhibiting a retroflection — one in which a swift current, flowing along the western boundary of a continent, separates from the continental margin and curls back upon itself. Large buoyant pools of water detach from the resulting loop, injecting eddies into a neighbouring ocean province.