Record #00517Nature archive
The Somali Current in the western Indian Ocean reverses with the monsoon. A record registry reports flow reaching 12.8 km/h during the monsoon, while the UK National Oceanography Centre describes it as an exceptionally fast seasonal current.
Current Record
about12.8km/h
Current record value
During the boreal southwest monsoon, winds strengthen the Somali Current along the Horn of Africa, with offshore circulation and strong coastal upwelling.
Upwelling transports colder, nutrient-rich water toward the surface, influencing plankton and fisheries. The 12.8 km/h value is a registry-reported peak without a fully documented measurement instrument, timestamp or cross-section; it is not a persistent speed everywhere along the current.
Credible sources support core facts; the comparison scope or corroboration remains incomplete.
Basis: direct confirmation by an authority
Guinness lists 12.8 km/h during the monsoon in the fastest seasonal current category, while the UK National Oceanography Centre independently describes the seasonally reversing Somali Current as the world's fastest. The primary dated velocity measurements and instruments remain unspecified, so developing is retained.
12.8 km/h is a registry-reported seasonal peak, not a yearly mean or constant speed. A detailed measurement date and instrument protocol were not found.
Current Entry identifies the current entry in this archive; it does not establish that the record is still held today.
The record value on this page is organized from the public sources above. Measurement methods may differ; JiLuDB follows the unified method described for each entry.
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