1.
The Gulf Stream, together with its northern extension towards
Europe, the North Atlantic Drift, is a powerful, warm, and swift Atlantic Ocean
current that originates in the Gulf of Mexico, exits through the Strait of
Florida, and follows the eastern coastlines of the United States and Newfoundland
before crossing the Atlantic Ocean. At about 30°W, 40°N, it splits in two. with
the northern stream crossing to northern Europe and the southern stream re-circulating
off West Africa. The Gulf Stream influences the climate of the east coast of
North America from Florida to Newfoundland, and the west coast of Europe. In
fact, the climate of Western Europe and Northern Europe is warmer than it would
otherwise be due to the North Atlantic drift, one of the branches from the tail
of the Gulf Stream. Its presence has led to the development of strong cyclones
of all types, both within the atmosphere and within the ocean. The Gulf Stream
is also a significant potential source of renewable power generation.
2.
The North Atlantic Drift is a warm Atlantic Ocean Current which runs
from the Grand Bank, near New Foundland to western Europe. In fact, the warm
Gulf Stream Current is deflected towards the east under the influence of the
Westerlie winds and the rotation of the Earth and reaches Europe as the North
Atlantic Drift. It is a warm current that keeps the ports of Europe free from
ice even in winter. It flows in three directions — eastwards to UK, northwards
to the Arctic region and southwards, along the Spanish coast, as the cool
Canaries Current.
3.
The Labrador Current is a cold current in the north Atlantic Ocean
which flows from the Arctic Ocean south along the coast of Labrador and passes
around Newfoundland, continuing south along the east coast of Nova Scotia. It
is a continuation of the West Greenland Current and the Baffin Island Current. It
meets the warm Gulf Stream at the Grand Banks southeast of Newfoundland and
again north of the Outer Banks of North Carolina. The combination of these two
currents produces heavy fogs and has also created one of the richest fishing
grounds in the world. In spring and early summer,
this current transports icebergs from the glaciers of Greenland southwards into
the trans-Atlantic shipping lanes. The waters of the Labrador Current have a
cooling effect on the Canadian Atlantic provinces and coastal New England, but
rarely have a significant effect on waters south of Cape Cod.
4.
The Kuroshio Current is a strong western boundary current in
the western north Pacific Ocean. It begins off the east coast of Taiwan and
flows northeastward past Japan, where it merges with the easterly drift of the
North Pacific Current. It is analogous to the Gulf Stream in the Atlantic
Ocean, transporting warm, tropical water northward towards the polar region. It
is also sometimes known as the Black Stream—the English translation of
Kuroshio, and an allusion to the deep blue of its water—and also as the Japan
Current. Its counterparts are the North Pacific Current to the north, the
California Current to the east, and the North Equatorial Current to the south. The
warm waters of the Kuroshio Current sustain the coral reefs of Japan, the
northernmost coral reefs in the world. The branch into the Sea of Japan is
called Tsushima Current. There is a concentration of uranium passing through
this current every year (between 5 and 6 million tons). The Japan Current is
also responsible for the mild weather experienced around Alaska's southern
coast.
5. The
Oyashio Current is a cold Subarctic ocean current that
flows south and circulates counter clockwise in the western North Pacific
Ocean. It collides with the Kuroshio Current off the eastern shore of Japan to
form the North Pacific Current. The waters of the Oyashio Current originate in
the Arctic Ocean and flow southward via the Bering Sea. The current has an
important impact on the climate of the Russian Far East, mainly in Kamchatka
and Chukotka. The waters of the Oyashio Current form probably the richest
fishing grounds in the world owing to the extremely high nutrient content of
the cold water and the very high tides (up to ten metres) in some areas, which
further enhances the availability of nutrients. It also causes Vladivostok to
be the most equatorward port to seasonally freeze and require icebreaking ships
to remain open in winter. However, this has relatively little effect on the
fish yield through the Sea of Okhotsk because the large tides mean freezing
does not occur so easily.
The
other important ocean currents are the following:
Warm
Currents of the Altantic Ocean:
1. North Equatorial Current: It bifurcates
into Antilles Current and Caribbean Current.
2. South Equatorial: It bifurcates at the
protruding landmass of northeast Brazil into northern Cayenne Current and the
southern Brazilian Current (South Atlantic Ocean).
3. Counter Equatorial Current: It flows
from west to east in between the North and South Equatorial Current.
Cold
Currents of the Altantic Ocean:
1. The Irminger Current or Greenland
Current: If flows between Greenland and Iceland and merges with North Atlantic
Drift.
2. Canaries Current: It is the continuation
of North Atlantic Drift along the western coast of Iberian Peninsula and North
Africa in the southern direction.
3. Falkland Current: It flows northways
along the eastern coast of South America upto Argentina.
4. South Atlantic Drift: Under the
influence of westerlies at about 40°S latitude, Brazilian Current continues as
the South Atlantic Current.
5. Benguela Current: It flows northwards along
the western coast of South Africa.
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