East Australian Current
Overview
The East Australian Current (EAC) is an ocean current
that moves warm water in a clockwise fashion down the east coast of Australia
. It is the largest ocean current close to the shores of Australia. Its source is the tropical Coral Sea
off the northeast coast of Australia. It can reach speeds of up to seven knots in some of the shallower waters along the Australian continental shelf
, but is generally measured at two to three knots.
Ocean current
An ocean current is a continuous, directed movement of ocean water generated by the forces acting upon this mean flow, such as breaking waves, wind, Coriolis effect, cabbeling, temperature and salinity differences and tides caused by the gravitational pull of the Moon and the Sun...
that moves warm water in a clockwise fashion down the east coast of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It is the largest ocean current close to the shores of Australia. Its source is the tropical Coral Sea
Coral Sea
The Coral Sea is a marginal sea off the northeast coast of Australia. It is bounded in the west by the east coast of Queensland, thereby including the Great Barrier Reef, in the east by Vanuatu and by New Caledonia, and in the north approximately by the southern extremity of the Solomon Islands...
off the northeast coast of Australia. It can reach speeds of up to seven knots in some of the shallower waters along the Australian continental shelf
Continental shelf
The continental shelf is the extended perimeter of each continent and associated coastal plain. Much of the shelf was exposed during glacial periods, but is now submerged under relatively shallow seas and gulfs, and was similarly submerged during other interglacial periods. The continental margin,...
, but is generally measured at two to three knots.
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