Development of the subsurface currents of the northern somali current gyre from march to july 1979

Measurements from March to July 1979 by current meters moored between the shelf and the deep sea from 5 degrees to 8 degrees N show that there was shallow ( < 150-meter) coastward and northward circulation between 6 degrees and 8 degrees N long before the onset of the southwest monsoon. After the onset, a powerful coastward flow developed offshore around 6 degrees N, branching into northward and southward flows at the continental rise while the current deepened to more than 250 meters. There seemed to be a separate circulation on the shelf with some counterflow to offshore. All current records show that there were strong fluctuations with periods of 3 to 6 days.