The West Australian Current (or the Western Australian Current) is a cool surface current of the

Southern Ocean The Southern Ocean, also known as the Antarctic Ocean, comprises the southernmost waters of the World Ocean, generally taken to be south of 60° S latitude and encircling Antarctica. With a size of , it is regarded as the second-smal ...

and

Southern Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by t ...

Track

It starts as the Southern Indian Ocean Current, a part of the larger

Antarctic Circumpolar Current The Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) is an ocean current that flows clockwise (as seen from the South Pole) from west to east around Antarctica. An alternative name for the ACC is the West Wind Drift. The ACC is the dominant circulation feat ...

(also known as the West Wind Drift). As the current approaches

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to t ...

, it turns north, parallel to the western coast of Australia, and becomes the West Australian Current.

Effects

The current is mainly seasonal, being weaker in winter and stronger in summer, and is affected by the winds in that area. In addition to the West Australian Current flowing on the Western Australian Coast, the

Leeuwin Current The Leeuwin Current is a warm ocean current which flows southwards near the western coast of Australia. It rounds Cape Leeuwin to enter the waters south of Australia where its influence extends as far as Tasmania. Discovery The existence of the ...

and Southern Australian Countercurrent, also flow along this coast, with the former flowing in the opposite direction. These three currents together contribute greatly to the rainfall and climate in the southwest region of Western Australia.http://www.bom.gov.au/oceanography/forecasts/idyoc10.shtml?region=10&forecast=1 BOM indicator of current temperatures

References

{{Ocean Coastline of Western Australia Southern Ocean Currents of the Indian Ocean

Track

Effects

See also

References