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Leeuwin Current

The Leeuwin Current is a warm, poleward-flowing ocean boundary current that dominates the circulation along the western and southern coasts of Australia, transporting tropical and subtropical waters southward from North West Cape (approximately 22°S) to Cape Leeuwin (34°S), before extending eastward into the Great Australian Bight and southward along Tasmania's west coast, forming a continuous system spanning about 5,500 kilometers—the longest such boundary current globally.^[1]^[2] This current is driven primarily by large-scale sea level gradients resulting from prevailing winds and the Indonesian Throughflow, with mean poleward volume transport estimated at 3.7 Sverdrups (Sv), peaking seasonally in autumn and winter.^[3] Unlike typical eastern boundary currents, it flows against the prevailing winds, carrying nutrient-poor warm waters that moderate regional climates by warming coastal areas and supporting the southward migration of tropical marine species, though it often creates oligotrophic "oceanic deserts" with limited phytoplankton except during eddy-induced blooms.^[1] The Leeuwin Current's water primarily originates from the Indonesian Throughflow (contributing 50–66% of its seasonal variability) and other northern tropical Indian Ocean sources (60–78% overall), with subtropical inputs from the western Indian Ocean, enabling inter-ocean exchange between the Pacific and Indian Oceans via the eastern Indian Ocean basin.^[3] Its dynamics are characterized by intense mesoscale eddies and meanders, particularly intensifying in autumn when faster flows stir nutrients from deeper waters, fostering seasonal plankton blooms observable in satellite chlorophyll data, such as those captured by MODIS in June 2014.^[1] These features not only influence local biodiversity—boosting fish stocks temporarily during upwelling events—but also play a critical role in regional weather patterns, enhancing rainfall in southwestern Australia through increased atmospheric moisture.^[1]^[3] Paleoceanographic records indicate the current's strength has varied over millennia, with weaker flow during the Holocene compared to glacial and deglacial periods, underscoring its long-term significance in heat transport and Indo-Pacific connectivity, while modern observations from satellite altimetry and drifting buoys highlight its vulnerability to climate variability, including marine heatwaves.^[4]^[2]^[5]

Location and Formation

Geographic Extent

The Leeuwin Current originates near the North West Cape on the Northwest Shelf of Western Australia and flows southward along the continental shelf edge, reaching Cape Leeuwin at approximately 34°S before turning eastward along the southern coastline toward the Great Australian Bight.^[6]^[7] This path positions the current as a key feature of the eastern Indian Ocean's circulation, transporting warm tropical waters poleward in a manner atypical for eastern boundary currents.^[3] The current's primary water source is the Indonesian Throughflow, which delivers tropical Pacific waters into the eastern Indian Ocean via passages including the Timor Sea and Arafura Sea, subsequently feeding into the Leeuwin Current along Western Australia's northwest coast.^[8]^[9] These influxes introduce low-salinity, warm waters that characterize the current's core properties throughout its trajectory.^[10] Spatially, the Leeuwin Current spans a latitudinal range of approximately 22°S to 34°S, with its flow intensifying during austral winter.^[11]^[12] Its positioning is closely confined by the underlying continental shelf topography, which varies markedly in width from over 300 km along the broader northern sections near the Northwest Shelf to 50–100 km in the narrower southern regions south of Perth.^[13]^[14] This topographic variation influences the current's lateral extent and stability, channeling it more tightly against the coast in southern latitudes.^[10]

Driving Mechanisms

The Leeuwin Current is primarily driven by a meridional steric sea level gradient, with higher sea levels in the warmer Indonesian seas to the north compared to the cooler southern Indian Ocean, generating a poleward pressure gradient force that propels the flow southward along Western Australia's coast.^[15] This gradient arises from differential heating and the influx of warm, low-density water from the Indonesian Throughflow, which contributes to the elevated steric heights in the northern region.^[16] In geostrophic balance, this pressure gradient is countered by the Coriolis force, which in the Southern Hemisphere deflects the southward flow westward (offshore); however, the continental slope constrains the current, maintaining its poleward trajectory close to the coast.^[17] Unlike typical eastern boundary currents, such as the California Current, which are driven by equatorward winds inducing coastal upwelling, the Leeuwin Current flows poleward against the prevailing southerly winds that exert an opposing equatorward stress.^[15] These winds, while capable of generating offshore Ekman transport, are insufficient to overcome the dominant steric pressure gradient, allowing the current to accelerate into the wind along much of its path.^[17] The onshore geostrophic component of the flow, driven by the cross-shelf sea level slope, further reinforces this poleward motion by countering any wind-induced offshore divergence.^[18] Seasonal variations in the current's strength are tied to enhanced Indo-Pacific pressure differences, particularly during the austral winter, when monsoonal winds in the northwest Australian region build up coastal sea levels that propagate southward as Kelvin waves, amplifying the steric gradient.^[19] Recent moored observations as of 2025 confirm this cycle, with maximum poleward transport from May to July, while weaker gradients in summer lead to reduced flow.^[15]^[20] The monsoon-driven sea level rise in the Gulf of Carpentaria, for instance, initiates this cycle by increasing the overall meridional pressure head across the current's extent.^[19]

Path and Flow Dynamics

Coastal Track

The Leeuwin Current maintains a year-round poleward flow along the western Australian coastline, originating as a narrow coastal jet near North West Cape at approximately 22°S adjacent to Exmouth Gulf and progressing southward to Cape Leeuwin at 34°S.^[21] This path generally hugs the continental shelf break, with the current intensifying progressively southward, reaching enhanced velocities off Perth around 32°S and achieving its maximum strength near 30°S where the core aligns closely with the 300-m isobath.^[18] The overall geographic boundaries span from 22°S to 34°S, as detailed in the geographic extent section. Seasonal variations significantly influence the current's track, with the flow becoming broader and stronger during the austral winter from May to August, when opposing southerly winds weaken and allow for greater offshore extension.^[15] In contrast, during austral summer from November to February, the track narrows and weakens due to intensified equatorward wind stresses that counteract the pressure-driven flow, confining the current more tightly to the coast.^[15] Upon reaching Cape Leeuwin, the Leeuwin Current rounds the headland and extends eastward into the Southern Ocean, continuing as the South Australian Current along the southern Australian shelf.^[22] This eastward continuation contributes warm tropical waters to the broader Antarctic Circumpolar Current system.^[4] Interactions with prominent coastal features, such as capes and headlands, induce flow separation and meanders along the track; for instance, at Cape Naturaliste near 33°S, the current encounters bathymetric changes that promote lateral deflections and undulations in its path.^[7]

Eddies and Variability

The Leeuwin Current exhibits significant mesoscale instabilities, primarily manifesting as warm-core anticyclonic eddies formed through baroclinic instability, with contributions from mixed barotropic processes. These eddies arise due to the current's strong vertical and horizontal density gradients, particularly during its peak strength in austral autumn and winter. Formation is prominent off the North West Shelf near North West Cape (around 21–22°S) and along the southwest shelf (28–32°S), where meanders in the current amplify into closed eddies.^[23] Eddies are typically shed from the current at a frequency of 1–3 per year, coinciding with the seasonal intensification of the flow, and possess diameters ranging from 100–200 km. These features propagate westward into the Indian Ocean interior, transporting warm surface waters, heat, and nutrients offshore from the coastal zone, thereby influencing cross-shelf exchanges. Anticyclonic eddies retain elevated temperatures and chlorophyll levels in their cores, derived from nearshore waters, facilitating the offshore advection of biologically active material.^[24] Interannual variability in eddy formation and current strength is closely tied to the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), with the Leeuwin Current and associated eddy activity intensifying during La Niña phases due to enhanced sea level gradients and weakened during El Niño events. This modulation affects eddy shedding rates and offshore transport volumes. Post-2000 observations, derived from satellite altimetry, indicate a statistically significant increase in mesoscale eddy kinetic energy along the Leeuwin Current at approximately 2.5% per decade, attributed to climate-driven alterations in ocean stratification and wind patterns that amplify instabilities.^[25]

Physical Characteristics

Temperature and Salinity

The Leeuwin Current transports warm tropical waters southward, with surface temperatures typically ranging from 26–29°C in its northern reaches near 22°S to 18–22°C further south near 34°S, reflecting a poleward decrease of approximately 0.5°C per degree of latitude.^[18]^[26] This thermal gradient arises from the advection of Indonesian Throughflow waters, which maintain elevated temperatures despite mixing with cooler subtropical waters offshore. The current exhibits a characteristically low salinity profile of 35.0–35.7 practical salinity units (PSU) at the surface, significantly fresher than the surrounding Indian Ocean gyre waters that exceed 35.0 PSU.^[18] This haline signature originates from the low-salinity surface waters of the Indonesian Throughflow, which enter the Indian Ocean via the Indonesian seas and form the primary source for the Leeuwin Current, contrasting with the saltier, evaporative subtropical waters to the west.^[27] Vertically, the Leeuwin Current features a shallow mixed layer of 50–100 m depth overlying a pronounced thermocline, with the current core generally confined to the upper 200–300 m.^[18]^[20] Minimal upwelling along the coast preserves the warmth and oligotrophic nature of these surface waters, limiting nutrient entrainment from deeper layers and maintaining low productivity in the euphotic zone.^[28] Seasonal variations enhance these properties, with the surface waters becoming warmer and fresher during austral summer (December–February) due to increased regional precipitation, reduced wind-driven mixing, and a shallower mixed layer that isolates the surface from cooler subsurface waters.^[20]^[18] In contrast, winter (June–August) sees slightly cooler and saltier conditions from stronger advection and deeper mixing, though the core low-salinity signal persists.^[20] These thermohaline characteristics contribute to the alongshore sea level gradient that drives the current. Recent moored observations (2011–2024) confirm seasonal minima in salinity during winter at depths of 27–68 m off southwest Australia.^[20]

Speed and Volume Transport

The Leeuwin Current exhibits mean surface speeds that increase along its southward path before decreasing toward its terminus. Off Perth, around 32°S, typical speeds range from 0.15 to 0.33 m/s, with maximum values reaching 0.33 m/s in the core near the shelf break during peak flow periods in winter, based on recent moored observations.^[20]^[29] These velocities reflect the current's acceleration due to narrowing coastal geometry and steric height gradients, though they generally diminish south of Cape Leeuwin as the flow turns eastward into the Great Australian Bight.^[18] Volume transport for the Leeuwin Current totals approximately 2.4 Sverdrups (Sv; 1 Sv = 10^6 m³/s) annually (adjusted from moored data as of 2025), with seasonal peaks up to 3 Sv in winter; earlier estimates indicated 3.4 Sv mean with surface core flow of 2–3 Sv.^[20]^[30]^[18] These estimates derive primarily from shipboard Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) surveys, which capture velocity profiles across transects, and satellite altimetry, which infers geostrophic transport from sea surface height anomalies.^[31] The current's flow integrates over depths of 500–800 m, but remains strongest in the upper 200 m where warm, low-salinity waters dominate.^[32] Transport exhibits significant interannual variability, particularly in response to El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phases, with reductions of 20–30% during El Niño events relative to La Niña conditions due to weakened Indo-Pacific sea level gradients.^[18] For instance, annual-mean poleward transport at 32°S averages 3.4 Sv overall but drops to about 3.0 Sv in El Niño years and rises to 4.2 Sv in La Niña years.^[18] This variability underscores the current's sensitivity to remote equatorial forcing, which modulates the density-driven pressure gradients sustaining the flow.^[18]

Discovery and Scientific Study

Historical Discovery

The Leeuwin Current is named after Cape Leeuwin, the southwestern tip of Western Australia, which British navigator Matthew Flinders formally designated in 1801 to honor the Dutch East India Company ship Leeuwin—meaning "lioness"—that first charted the cape in 1622 during its voyage along the coast.^[33]^[34] Formal scientific recognition of the Leeuwin Current came in 1897 from English marine biologist William Saville-Kent, who inferred its existence while serving as a government fisheries expert in Western Australia. Observing the unusual southward distribution of tropical fish species, including coral reef-associated forms, around the Houtman Abrolhos Islands at approximately 29°S—far beyond their typical range—Saville-Kent attributed this to a warm poleward-flowing current carrying northern waters southward along the continental margin. He detailed these findings in his seminal book The Naturalist in Australia, emphasizing the implications for fisheries and marine biogeography.^[35] Further confirmation arrived in the early 20th century through hydrographic analysis by Australian surveyor G.H. Halligan, who examined temperature data collected by merchant vessels during the 1910s and early 1920s. Halligan's temperature maps revealed a distinct warm surface layer flowing poleward off the southwest coast near Cape Leeuwin, with estimated speeds of 0.3–0.4 knots and a southward trajectory that turned eastward into the Great Australian Bight. In his 1921 paper "The Ocean Currents around Australia," Halligan synthesized these measurements to delineate the current's basic path, marking the first instrumental evidence of its flow dynamics. From the 1950s to the 1970s, Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) advanced understanding through systematic hydrographic surveys along the Western Australian shelf, relying on ship-based temperature and salinity profiles without satellite or remote sensing capabilities. Initiated in the 1950s, routine measurements at Rottnest Island near Fremantle documented seasonal warm-water incursions, while dedicated cruises in the 1960s mapped geopotential topographies and confirmed the current's core structure off Perth with poleward velocities up to 0.5 m/s. By the early 1970s, CSIRO's deployment of approximately a dozen surface drifters traced the flow's coastal adherence and offshore meanders, solidifying the mapped track prior to advanced observational eras.^[18]^[36]

Modern Research and Observations

Since the 1990s, satellite altimetry missions such as TOPEX/Poseidon and the subsequent Jason series have provided high-resolution observations of sea surface height anomalies, enabling detailed mapping of the Leeuwin Current's mesoscale eddies and interannual transport variability. These measurements have revealed that the current's southward flow strengthens during austral autumn and weakens in summer, with eddy activity contributing significantly to cross-shelf exchanges and nutrient distribution along Western Australia's coast.^[37]^[19] Paleoceanographic reconstructions using foraminifera proxies from sediment cores have illuminated long-term variations in the Leeuwin Current's intensity. Records indicate a stepwise weakening during the Pliocene epoch (approximately 3–5 million years ago), attributed to reduced Indonesian Throughflow connectivity during sea-level lowstands, which limited the supply of warm source waters. In contrast, over the last 60,000 years, the current exhibited variability, with weakening during the Last Glacial Maximum and the Holocene but intensification during deglacial periods, facilitating enhanced poleward heat transport and influencing regional paleoclimate patterns.^[38]^[4] Recent observational efforts from the 2010s to 2025, including moorings from the Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS) and data from Argo floats, have documented variability in the Leeuwin Current's transport, including weakening during El Niño events like 2016–2019 linked to increased upper-ocean stratification driven by climate change and anomalous freshening from the Indonesian Throughflow. Recent efforts also include autonomous underwater gliders deployed by IMOS, complementing Argo floats to resolve fine-scale variability in current strength and eddies. These in-situ measurements, spanning depths up to 500 meters, capture intraseasonal to interannual fluctuations. Long-term projections indicate a potential decline of 15–20% by mid-century.^[39]^[40] Climate model projections aligned with IPCC assessments forecast further weakening of the Leeuwin Current by around 11% by 2100 under high-emissions scenarios (RCP8.5), primarily due to differential warming between the Indo-Pacific basins that alters pressure gradients and reduces throughflow volume, with even greater weakening (up to 17%) projected for the subsurface Leeuwin Undercurrent. These simulations emphasize the current's sensitivity to greenhouse gas forcing, with implications for altered heat redistribution in the southeastern Indian Ocean.^[41]^[42]

Ecological and Climatic Influences

Marine Ecosystems

The Leeuwin Current's oligotrophic characteristics, driven by its warm, nutrient-poor waters, suppress coastal upwelling and result in persistently low primary productivity along Western Australia's shelf, with surface chlorophyll-a concentrations typically below 0.5 mg/m³.^[14] This low-nutrient environment limits phytoplankton growth and overall biological productivity, contrasting with more nutrient-rich eastern boundary currents elsewhere.^[43] However, the current's transport of warm tropical waters supports the development and maintenance of diverse coral reef ecosystems, such as Ningaloo Reef, where temperatures conducive to coral symbiosis enable high biodiversity despite the oligotrophic conditions.^[44] The Leeuwin Current plays a crucial role in larval dispersal, carrying planktonic larvae of tropical fish and invertebrates southward from northern source populations, facilitating poleward range extensions for these species.^[45] For instance, modeling studies indicate that tropical damselfish larvae (e.g., Abudefduf sexfasciatus) can be transported over 330 km from the Houtman Abrolhos Islands to Rottnest Island during the current's peak autumn flow, aligning with observed recruitment patterns.^[45] Similarly, the current enables southward dispersal of crown-of-thorns starfish (Acanthaster planci) larvae, contributing to outbreaks at Ningaloo Reef and subsequent coral degradation, as evidenced by genetic connectivity and historical infestation events in the 1980s–1990s.^[46] Mesoscale eddies generated by the Leeuwin Current introduce variability to this otherwise low-productivity system by injecting nutrients offshore, promoting localized phytoplankton blooms that enhance trophic support.^[47] Cold-core eddies, in particular, elevate the pycnocline to bring subsurface nutrients into sunlit surface waters, fostering higher chlorophyll-a levels and primary production compared to the surrounding oligotrophic flow.^[47] These nutrient-enriched patches benefit fisheries, such as the western rock lobster (Panulirus cygnus), where eddy-influenced areas improve larval nutrition through abundant, high-quality zooplankton, correlating with stronger settlement and recruitment success.^[14] Climate change exacerbates vulnerabilities in Leeuwin Current-influenced marine ecosystems through intensified marine heatwaves, which have already triggered significant ecological disruptions. The 2011 Ningaloo Niño event, fueled by anomalous Leeuwin Current advection during La Niña conditions, raised sea surface temperatures by up to 5°C above average, causing widespread coral bleaching at Ningaloo Reef and mass mortality of fish and invertebrates.^[26] The 2010/11 heatwave similarly led to unprecedented bleaching across 12° of latitude, resulting in habitat loss for corals, seagrasses, and macroalgae, alongside southward shifts in tropical fish distributions and localized extinctions of sensitive species like abalone.^[48] More recently, the 2024–2025 marine heatwave, the warmest on record for Australian waters as of November 2025, caused severe coral bleaching across Western Australian reefs, including Ningaloo, and mass fish mortalities, driven by prolonged elevated sea surface temperatures exceeding 3–4°C above average.^[49]^[50] Projections under continued warming indicate frequent heatwaves will drive substantial biodiversity declines in these ecosystems by mid-century, with risks of ecosystem reconfiguration and reduced resilience in coastal habitats.^[51]

Regional Climate Effects

The Leeuwin Current plays a significant role in poleward heat transport within the Indian Ocean, contributing to the overall southward heat flux along the western Australian coast.^[4] This transport contributes to warmer coastal sea surface temperatures that moderate air temperatures in southwest Australia, maintaining them 1–2°C above global averages and thereby reducing the frequency of winter frosts compared to inland regions.^[4] The current enhances precipitation in the Leeuwin Current Core zone through moisture advection from warmer tropical waters, supporting wetter winter conditions in southwest Australia.^[52] Stronger flow during austral winter promotes onshore moisture transport, intensifying frontal systems and cloud bands that deliver rainfall to coastal areas.^[53] The Leeuwin Current's intensity interacts closely with the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), strengthening during La Niña phases due to enhanced Indonesian Throughflow and equatorial wind anomalies, which can lead to increased coastal flooding from elevated sea levels and storm surges.^[3] Conversely, an observed weakening of the current over recent decades, by approximately 10–30% since the mid-20th century, has coincided with drier conditions and declining winter rainfall in southwest Australia.^[54] The current amplifies marine heatwaves by advecting anomalously warm water southward, as seen in the 2010–2011 event off Western Australia, where La Niña-driven intensification raised sea surface temperatures by up to 3°C above average.^[55] Climate projections indicate that such events will become 2–3 times more frequent by 2050 under moderate-to-high emissions scenarios, driven by ongoing ocean warming and ENSO variability.^[56]

Comparisons with Other Currents

Eastern Boundary Currents

The Leeuwin Current stands out among eastern boundary currents due to its poleward flow along the western Australian coast, contrasting with the predominantly equatorward flows of systems like the California Current and Humboldt Current, which are driven by wind-induced Ekman transport and coastal upwelling.^[57] While the California Current transports cooler waters southward (equatorward) from the subarctic to subtropical latitudes, and the Humboldt Current similarly moves southward along the South American coast, the Leeuwin Current's southward progression is sustained by a steric sea-level gradient originating from the Indonesian Throughflow, overriding the typical wind-driven dynamics of other eastern boundary regimes.^[18] This pressure-gradient dominance results in a surface-intensified flow that lacks the equatorward Ekman component prominent in the California and Humboldt systems.^[58] In terms of nutrient dynamics, the Leeuwin Current maintains an oligotrophic regime with warm, nutrient-poor tropical waters, fostering low primary productivity along its path, unlike the nutrient-rich, cold upwelling zones of the California and Humboldt Currents that support exceptionally high biological productivity.^[59] The California Current's upwelling brings subsurface nutrients to the surface, enhancing phytoplankton blooms and sustaining major fisheries, while the Humboldt Current's intense upwelling similarly drives one of the world's most productive marine ecosystems, with nutrient concentrations often exceeding 20 μmol L⁻¹ of nitrate in upwelled waters. In contrast, the Leeuwin Current suppresses upwelling through its poleward advection, resulting in surface nitrate levels typically below 1 μmol L⁻¹ and subdued productivity rates around 360–760 mg C m⁻² d⁻¹ (average 545 mg C m⁻² d⁻¹).^[60] Winds play a subordinate role in the Leeuwin Current compared to their driving influence in other eastern boundary systems, where equatorward trade winds reinforce the current and induce upwelling. Along the Australian west coast, prevailing southerly winds oppose the poleward flow, reducing its speed but failing to reverse it due to the overriding pressure gradient.^[19] By comparison, in the California and Humboldt regions, alongshore winds align with and amplify the equatorward surface flow while generating Ekman divergence that lifts nutrient-laden deep waters, with wind stress often exceeding 0.1 N m⁻² during peak upwelling seasons.^[57] ENSO variability affects the Leeuwin Current in a phase-opposite manner to the California Current, with the Leeuwin strengthening during La Niña events—when enhanced Indonesian Throughflow boosts its volume transport by 20–50%—and weakening during El Niño, whereas the California Current experiences relaxed upwelling and warmer intrusions during El Niño, diminishing its typical equatorward vigor.^[18] This inverse response highlights the Leeuwin's remote forcing from equatorial Pacific dynamics, contrasting with the California Current's more direct coupling to local wind anomalies during ENSO phases.^[61]

Unique Aspects

The Leeuwin Current stands out as a rare poleward-flowing eastern boundary current, transporting warm tropical waters southward along Western Australia's coast year-round, in contrast to the typical equatorward flow of other eastern boundary systems driven by wind stress. This anomalous direction persists despite prevailing southerly winds that would otherwise promote upwelling, making it the only subtropical eastern boundary current globally without direct input from a subtropical gyre's western intensification. Instead, its flow is primarily sustained by a strong alongshore sea-level pressure gradient, arising from the elevated sea levels off northwest Australia due to the influx of Indonesian Throughflow waters, which overrides wind forcing.^[62]^[63]^[3] A distinctive hydrographic signature of the Leeuwin Current is its transport of low-salinity waters (typically 34.0–34.5) originating from the Indonesian Throughflow, which carries fresher Pacific inflow into the Indian Ocean, unlike the saltier subtropical waters (salinity >35.5) that characterize currents like the Gulf Stream or Agulhas Current. This low-salinity tropical component imparts a unique thermohaline structure, with the current's core exhibiting warmer surface temperatures (up to 2–3°C above surrounding waters) and reduced density that enhances its surface intensification. In comparison, the Gulf Stream draws from evaporative North Atlantic subtropical gyre waters with higher salinity, while the Agulhas conveys saline Indian Ocean intermediate waters, highlighting the Leeuwin's dependence on equatorial rather than subtropical sources.^[64]^[65]^[3] Despite the equatorward wind stress along its path, the Leeuwin Current exhibits minimal upwelling and instead fosters downwelling-favorable conditions, suppressing nutrient entrainment from deeper waters and maintaining oligotrophic surface layers unique among eastern boundaries. This downwelling is driven by the current's poleward momentum and offshore Ekman transport, which together create a persistent coastal sea-level setup that inhibits vertical mixing, even during periods of stronger southerly winds. Such dynamics contrast sharply with upwelling-dominated eastern boundaries like the California or Benguela Currents, where wind forcing reliably brings nutrient-rich waters to the surface.^[66]^[57] Paleoceanographic records reveal the Leeuwin Current's high sensitivity to glacial-interglacial transitions, with intensification during interglacials and weakening during glacials, driven by variations in Indonesian Throughflow strength and regional sea-level changes. For instance, proxy data from sediment cores indicate the current was weakest during the Last Glacial Maximum due to reduced throughflow and lower sea levels, but it strengthened markedly during deglaciation and the Holocene as westerly winds shifted poleward and tropical water influx increased. This variability contrasts with more stable western boundary currents like the Gulf Stream, which show less pronounced glacial-interglacial fluctuations in intensity.^[4]^[67]

References

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The main upper branch of the ITF passes through Makassar Strait into the Java and Banda Seas, before exiting through the primary outflow passages: Lombok Strait ...Missing: path extent
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A southward warm and fresh Leeuwin Current along the coast with several branchings and three anticyclonic eddies offshore.
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Jun 1, 1988 · This documentary examines the nature and impact of the Leeuwin Current, the great surge of warm water which travels down the coast of Western Australia and ...
[32]
[PDF] THE LEEUWIN CURRENT - Australian Bird Study Association
The Current further accelerates in the Cape Leeuwin vicinity and speeds of up to 3.5 knots have been measured just beyond the shelf edge between the Cape and.
[33]
The naturalist in Australia - Biodiversity Heritage Library
... Saville-Kent, William 1845-1908. Publication Details. London, Chapman & Hall, limited, 1897. Year. 1897. DOI. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.18339. Holding ...Missing: Leeuwin Current
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[PDF] The Leeuwin Current south of Western Australia - Semantic Scholar
The LC brings waters of both tropical and subtropical origin around Cape Leeuwin and thence eastward into the subantarctic regime south of WA. This sub- ...Missing: Exmouth Gulf
[35]
Seasonal and Interannual Variations of the Leeuwin Current off ...
Aug 6, 2025 · The current varies seasonally, with weaker southwards flow occurring during the austral summer (November to March), when southerly winds are ...Missing: modern | Show results with:modern
[36]
Stepwise Weakening of the Pliocene Leeuwin Current - AGU Journals
Jul 9, 2019 · The Indonesian Throughflow (ITF) connects the equatorial Pacific to the Indian Ocean and forms a crucial link in the global thermohaline ...Missing: geographic | Show results with:geographic
[37]
ESSD: Gap-filled Sub-surface Mooring Dataset Off Australia
Apr 25, 2025 · Here, we present an updated version of the 14-year sub-surface mooring dataset off the south-western coast of Western Australia (WA) during 2010 ...Missing: decline | Show results with:decline
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[PDF] Management implications of climate change effect on fisheries in ...
A reduction of the Leeuwin Current transport (strength) by 15-20% from ... (~10-15 ppt) for spawning. Hence declining rainfall is a major threat. A b u n.
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Projected slow down of South Indian Ocean circulation - Nature
Nov 27, 2019 · Off the west coast of Australia, models consistently project a weakening of the Leeuwin Current and Undercurrent due to reduced onshore flow and ...
[40]
Leeuwin Current and Leeuwin Undercurrent historical and projected...
The MMM LC transport is within the range of observational estimates (e.g. −1.5 Sv at 34°S 21 to −3.4 Sv 22 at 32°S), although estimates vary considerably ( ...<|control11|><|separator|>
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Phytoplankton community structure and nitrogen nutrition in ...
In the coastal eastern Indian Ocean adjacent to the west coast of Australia, oligotrophic conditions generally predominate due to the influence of the Leeuwin ...
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Linking synoptic forcing and local mesoscale processes with ...
Feb 12, 2013 · The variability of the biological productivity off Ningaloo reef appears to be controlled by processes occurring at different spatiotemporal ...
[43]
Modelling the potential transport of tropical fish larvae in the ...
Leeuwin Current is the strong southward boundary current transporting warm, low-salinity water (and tropical species—Maxwell and Cresswell, 1981) down the ...
[44]
High levels of genetic connectivity in the corallivorous gastropod ...
Jan 7, 2025 · Hypotheses have suggested that larval recruitment and dispersal via the Leeuwin current initiated the Ningaloo Reef outbreak and facilitated ...
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[PDF] Research Online Production and ecosystem structure in cold-core vs ...
... nutrient injection. ... the Western Rock Lobster Panulirus cygnus, we sampled five eddies ... cyclonic eddies of the Leeuwin Current off Western Australia.
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What Can We Learn From the 2010/11 Western Australian Marine ...
In the austral summer of 2010/2011, the North West Shelf, Ningaloo Coast and Shark Bay areas of Western Australia (WA) experienced a severe Marine Heatwave ...
[47]
Chapter 11: Australasia | Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation ...
Projected ecosystem responses include losses of species habitat and diversity and degradation of ecosystem functions.
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https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/marine-science/articles/10.3389/fmars.2021.645383/full
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Influence of Indian Ocean sea surface temperature variability on ...
Aug 5, 2006 · They indicated that the Leeuwin Current may not be linked directly to the southwestern rainfall although there is an indication that the ...
[50]
Interannual Rainfall Extremes over Southwest Western Australia ...
In addition, dry (wet) years see a strengthening (weakening) and coinciding southward (northward) shift of the subpolar westerlies, which results in a similar ...
[51]
The behaviour of the Leeuwin Current offshore NW Australia during ...
Our findings indicate that the Leeuwin Current was present along the western coastline of Australia even during glacial periods.
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Meridional Heat Export Reduction & Indian Ocean Warming
The Leeuwin Current is estimated to transport −3.4 Sv at a TWT of 20°C, as determined from 50 years of sea level and temperature data near 32°S (Feng et al.Missing: percentage | Show results with:percentage
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La Niña forces unprecedented Leeuwin Current warming in 2011
Feb 14, 2013 · Ocean circulation off the west coast of Australia is dominated by the Leeuwin Current, a poleward-flowing eastern boundary current that ...
[54]
[PDF] Marine heatwaves off Western Australia: future projections
Under a low emissions scenario, almost 200 marine heatwave days per year are projected to occur by 2060, and should stabilise through to 2100 – a similar ...Missing: 2050 | Show results with:2050
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Eastern Boundary Current - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics
The Leeuwin Current has elevated levels of mesoscale eddy variability compared with eastern boundary current regions in the other oceans (see the map of ...
[56]
The role of the Leeuwin Current and mixed layer depth on the ...
The mixed layer depth (MLD) off Ningaloo deepened to ∼100 m in autumn, partly due to the acceleration of the Leeuwin Current ... km) and shallow (50 m) flow ...
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[PDF] Understanding areas of high productivity within the South-west ...
(1) the Leeuwin current impinging on the continental shelf, partially entraining shelf water into its boundary. (2) the Leeuwin current flooding the shelf ...
[58]
Impacts of the 2015–2016 El Niño on the California Current System ...
Jun 15, 2016 · Impacts on the physical state of the CCS are weaker than expected based on tropical sea surface temperature anomalies; temperature and density ...2 Methods · 2.1 Data · 3 Tropical Pacific...
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The 5500‐km‐long boundary flow off western and southern Australia
Apr 21, 2004 · Halligan [1921] presented a similar oriented flow, originating from an early representation of the southward flow of the LC rather than ...
[60]
On the Leeuwin Current System and Its Linkage to Zonal Flows in ...
Mar 1, 2017 · The Leeuwin Current System (LCS) along the coast of Western Australia consists of the poleward-flowing Leeuwin Current (LC), the equatorward- ...
[61]
“Teddies” and the Origin of the Leeuwin Current in - AMS Journals
It follows via the geostrophic mass flux relationship that the eddy radius [O((g′Q)/ε)1/4/f3/4] is much greater than the downstream current width, which is O(g′ ...Missing: diameters | Show results with:diameters
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Biogeochemical and ecological impacts of boundary currents in the ...
In the southern hemisphere the Leeuwin is a downwelling-favorable current that flows southward along western Australia, though local wind forcing can lead ...<|separator|>
[63]
The behaviour of the Leeuwin Current offshore NW Australia during ...
Aug 7, 2025 · The Leeuwin Current is an anomalous eastern boundary current along the western Australian coast. To investigate its behaviour through time, ...Missing: drier | Show results with:drier