Offshore Currents The Mozambique Channel is an important source region for the Agulhas Current which is one of the major western boundary currents flowing along the Southeast coast of South Africa (Ridderinkhof and de Ruijter 2003). The channel is also one of the two routes through which South Equatorial Current feeds the Agulhas Current (Lutjeharms 1976, Stramma and Lutjeharms 1997, Scott and McCreary 2001).





Have all identified both anti-cyclonic and cyclonic eddies in the Mozambique channel. Recent satellite altimetry observations (Grundlingh 1995, Stammer 1997, Schouten et al. 2002a), drifter observations, and outputs from numerical models (Biastoch and Krauss 1999), have revealed that largescale eddies are often present and moving southward through the Mozambique Channel. 

After leaving the Mozambique Channel, these eddies interact with the Agulhas Current creating a disturbance that deflects the Agulhas Current  from the continental slope (Schouten et al., 2002a) to trigger the so-called Natal pulse (Lutjeharms and Ballegooyen 1988). In turn, this disturbance triggers shedding of Agulhas Rings (Van Leeuwen and de Ruijter 2000) which is an important contribution to the leakage of Indian Ocean waters into the South Atlantic.

On a large scale, the regular appearance of eddies in the central Mozambique Channel seems to be connected to the variation in the intensity of wind in the Equatorial Indian Ocean.

Global oceanic circulation drives the productivity, distribution and abundance of phytoplankton and • fisheries, through convergence/divergence and upwelling. Thus, it controls the health and productivity of the marine ecosystems. Hence, the major issues related to global circulation of the Mozambique Channel are the productivity of the marine ecosystems, biodiversity conservation, atmospheric carbon dioxide regulation and climate change. 

Gaps Recent studies revealed that the circulation of the Mozambique channel consists of a series of eddies moving southward. The ecological impacts of the eddies are not well understood. There is a need to conduct studies aimed at understanding the ecological implication of eddies, particularly with regard to their influence on fish and fisheries distribution. In addition, there is a need to build capacity in modelling, including studies of physical and biological processes. Tidal regime and waves Tides in Mozambique coast are predominantly semi-diurnal. 


There is a lag phase and an increase in the amplitude as the tide approaches the coast (Canhanga and Dias 2005). The inclination of the bottom topography coupled with strong surface tides makes the Mozambique Channel very important in the generation of internal waves (Le Provist 2001, Manders et al. 2004). Studies carried out by Cossa (2001) on the occurrence of internal waves along the Mozambique Channel, revealed that the internal waves exhibited wavelengths varying from 6.5 to 250 km. However, surface waves have wavelengths varying from 0.5 to 2 km. Analysis of seasonality of the internal waves showed that contrary to the south of Mozambique channel where internal waves occur only in summer, in the northern part of Mozambique channel, internal waves occur also in winter. This seems to be related to the variability of the stratification due to the variation in the heating of the water column. i) Issues The vulnerability of the coast to coastal erosion and flooding depends partially on the tidal dynamics and surface waves. 

There is a need for establishment of additional sea level monitoring stations in addition to building the capacity for the analysis of sea level data. This would enable prediction of the future patterns of sea level rise in Mozambique. ii) Gaps Mapping of the vulnerability of the coast to flooding and erosion requires knowledge of the tides and waves. A number of tide gauge stations have been installed in main harbours such as Beira and Maputo. However, no tide gauges have been installed within the continental shelf. There is also no wave gauge in the Mozambican waters. Therefore, there is a need to establish a network of oceanographic buoys along the coastal waters to monitor tides and waves. Further, there is a need to build capacity in wave modelling and studies of oceanographic processes. 

The National Institute of Hydrography and Navigation (INAHINA) is responsible for the monitoring of sea level in Mozambique. There are 13 tide gauge stations that are contribute to the Permanent Service for Mean Sea Level (PSMSL) which is part of the Global Sea Level Observing System (GLOSS) program of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) (Mundlovo et al. 2007). 

However, monitoring of the sea level in Mozambique is constrained by budgetary limitations. Currently, only five stations are operational. These stations are located in Inhambane, Pemba, Nacala, Beira and Maputo. The current information on sea level changes in the coastal area of Mozambique is based on the results of global models such as those constructed by Church and White (2006). A recent study of sea level change was done by Ruby et al. (2008). This was based on tide data at Maputo harbour and the neighbouring stations in the Republic of South Africa (Richards Bay). 

Issues The impacts of sea level rise on the physical structures, resources and on living organisms might be severe in Mozambique due to the lowlying nature of the coast. In Mozambique, the consequences of sea level rise could be severe because main cities are also located in highly vulnerable zones. The specific impacts of sea level rise in Mozambique are yet to be fully established.  Gaps There is limited capacity for prediction of future changes in climate and sea level in Mozambique. There is also a lack of continuous monitoring of the sea level and its impacts on marine and coastal ecosystems. There is also no capacity for monitoring waves and storms. Satellite remote-sensing is not widely used.