North Africa Coast Current 
The most permanent current in the Mediterranean Sea sets east 
along the African coast from the Strait of Gibraltar to the Strait 
of Sicily. The stability of the current is indicated by the 
proportion of calm (no current) observations, which averages less 
than 1 percent. The current is most constant after it passes 
through the Strait of Gibraltar; in this region, west of 3°W, 65 
percent of all observations show a set east, with a mean speed of 
1.1 knots and a mean maximum speed of 3.5 knots. 
Although the current is weaker between 3°W and 11°E, it remains 
constant, the speed averaging O.7 knot throughout its length and its 
maximum speed being about 2.5 knots. Of almost 54,000 observations, 
50 to 60 percent are in the prevailing direction. West of O° longitude 
the higher percentages of observations in the prevailing direction 
occur most frequently from April through September; east of this 
meridian they occur most frequently from October through March. 
There are no subsurface current data available, but the flow 
probably is eastward, with speeds decreasing with depth. 
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