Antarctic Circumpolar Current
The
Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) is an
ocean current that flows from west to east around
Antarctica. Lying in the
Southern Ocean between the latitudes of 40S and 60S, it is the only current that circumnavigates the globe, due to the lack of continental boundaries to disrupt it. As such, the ACC plays a crucial role in the global ocean circulation, connecting the
Atlantic,
Pacific and
Indian Ocean basins.
The ACC also contains the Antarctic Circumpolar Wave, a periodic oscillation that affects the climate of much of the southern hemisphere.