A simple model of the effect of the Kerguelen Plateau on the strength of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current

The strong westerly winds of the Southern Ocean drive a northwards Ekman transport which increases in magnitude from 9Sv, at the southern latitudes of Drake Passage, to a maximum of 37 Sv at 45°S. The return flow can occur as a western boundary current along the coasts of South America and the Antarctic Peninsula but at depths above 3000m such a boundary current cannot cross Drake Passage and so another mechanism must be involved.