Guinea Current upwelling

THE historical record of maritime observations are summarised here to indicate the dominant seasonal variations in upwelling, and in certain associated processes, within the Guinea Current region. The region is similar to other eastern ocean boundary upwelling areas in the appearance of cool sea temperatures near the coast, productive coastal fisheries, and a zone of low rainfall on the adjacent coast (Fig. 1). It differs from some of the more studied regions in several important respects. These include the zonal rather than meridional trend of the coast, the influence of a rather narrow intense coastwise current, and an unusual lack of correspondence on the seasonal time scale between sea-temperature features attributable to upwelling, and features in the overlying wind stress field¹. There seems to be a link between interyear variations in upwelling intensity and corresponding variations in both coastal rainfall and local fishery success.