Warm Gulf Stream- this is a huge current in the Atlantic Ocean, with quite high temperature. More specifically, the Gulf Stream is the current that runs along the entire east coast. North America, stretching from the Strait of Florida to the Newfowl Bank. And in broad sense, the Gulf Stream is common name systems of warm currents of the northern part Atlantic Ocean.

This is a rather powerful jet stream, which has a width of about 70-90 km and a depth almost to the very bottom. Max speed currents vary from a few meters per second at the surface to 10-20 centimeters at the bottom. The total flow of water by the Gulf Stream is 50,000,000 m3 every second, which is more than all the existing rivers combined. Only thanks warm Gulf Stream, all European countries, adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean, have a milder climate than the same Southern Siberia, located at the same latitude.

At the same time, the winds passing through this current bring in Northern Europe such an amount of heat that in winter it is about 15-20 degrees higher than it should be. So seaports in Norway, as well as our port in Murmansk, are not covered in ice all year round. During cold war, and especially acute relations with the Old World, the United States developed European freeze plan. According to their idea, it was necessary to adjust the current so that the Gulf Stream sailed back along the east coast, and did not cross the Atlantic Ocean. Nothing came of this, and the current gives warmth, as before.

Remarkably, the first mention of this trend was the story of Christopher Columbus, then the Europeans paid attention to it. He encountered it in 1492 when he sailed to the lands of the New World. The next was the conquistador, the Spaniard Ponce de Leon, who made an attempt to pass through the Gulf of Mexico, past peninsula florida, and discovered an amazing thing, his ship is under full sail, and fair wind moved in the opposite direction.

Previously, sailors have repeatedly noted a similar fact, not finding an explanation for it, but indicated on the maps the fact that the current helps to return home to Europe faster than to deal with this obstacle on the way to America. And here scientific research The current was first taken up by an American scientist, and later by US President Benjamin Franklin, in 1770. It was he who noted its approximate course along the entire length of the path, and gave the name now known to the whole world.

Warm Gulf Stream- this is a huge current in the Atlantic Ocean, with a fairly high temperature. More specifically, the Gulf Stream is a current that flows along the entire east coast of North America, stretching from the Strait of Florida to the Newfowlland Bank. And in a broad sense, the Gulf Stream is the general name for the system of warm currents of the North Atlantic Ocean.

This is a rather powerful jet stream, which has a width of about 70-90 km and a depth almost to the very bottom. The maximum current velocity varies from a few meters per second at the surface to 10-20 centimeters at the bottom. The total flow of water by the Gulf Stream is 50,000,000 m3 every second, which is more than all the existing rivers combined. Only thanks to the warm Gulf Stream, all European countries adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean have a milder climate than the same Southern Siberia, located at the same latitude.

At the same time, the winds passing through this current bring such an amount of heat to Northern Europe that in winter it is about 15-20 degrees higher than it should be. So seaports in Norway, as well as our port in Murmansk, are not covered in ice all year round. During the Cold War, and especially acute relations with the Old World, the United States developed European freeze plan. According to their idea, it was necessary to adjust the current so that the Gulf Stream sailed back along the east coast, and did not cross the Atlantic Ocean. Nothing came of this, and the current gives warmth, as before.

Remarkably, the first mention of this trend was the story of Christopher Columbus, then the Europeans paid attention to it. He encountered it in 1492 when he sailed to the lands of the New World. The next was the conquistador, the Spaniard Ponce de Leon, who made an attempt to pass through the Gulf of Mexico, past peninsula florida, and discovered an amazing thing, his ship was under full sail, and was moving in the opposite direction with a fair wind.

Previously, sailors have repeatedly noted a similar fact, not finding an explanation for it, but indicated on the maps the fact that the current helps to return home to Europe faster than to deal with this obstacle on the way to America. But the scientific study of the current was first taken up by an American scientist, and later by US President Benjamin Franklin, in 1770. It was he who noted its approximate course along the entire length of the path, and gave the name now known to the whole world.

Separate currents in the oceans are combined into systems included in the general basin cycle. Most famous sea ​​current- Gulfstream. This name is translated into Russian as the Current from the Gulf. It has been preserved from those distant times, when it is believed that the current arises as a stream of water rushing from the Gulf of Mexico through the Strait of Florida to. It is now known that only a small fraction of the Gulf Stream's waters are carried out of the bay. The current emerging from there is now preferred to be called the Florida. The ocean current, reaching the latitude of Cape Hatteras on the coast, receives a powerful inflow from the Sargasso Sea. This is where the actual Gulf Stream begins, a mighty "river in the ocean", going to a depth of 700 - 800 m and reaching a width of 110 - 120 km. One more feature of the Gulf Stream was noted: upon entering the ocean, it does not deviate to the right, as it should be in the Northern Hemisphere under the influence of the Earth's rotation, but to the left! This is the result advanced level ocean in its subtropical part. The average temperature of the surface layers of the current is 25 - 26 ° (at a depth of about 400 m - only 10 - 12 °). However, in the Gulf Stream, at a distance of the length of the ship's hull, there are large temperature differences, reaching 10 °, and a change in color and transparency sea ​​water happening right before our eyes.

In the surface layer of the current, a core of waters is usually found. elevated temperature, most pronounced at the very surface of the ocean, and the core of high salinity waters centered at depths of 100 - 200 m. This feature can be traced right up to the Great Newfoundland Bank. Thus, the notion of the Gulf Stream as a very warm current passing through colder waters is valid only for the surface layer, but even in it the warmest waters are only a few degrees higher than surface temperature waters of the Sargasso Sea.

The surface velocities of the Gulf Stream itself can reach 2.0 - 2.6 m/s. Even at depths of about 2 km, they are still significant: 10 - 20 cm/s. At the exit from the Strait of Florida, the current capacity is 25 million m3/s (and this value is more than 20 times the flow rate of all the rivers of the planet); after the joining of the Antilles Current (from the Sargasso Sea), the flow capacity increases to 106 million m/s.

And now such a mighty stream rushes to the northeast to the Great Newfoundland Bank. From here, the Gulf Stream, as well as the Slope Current that separates from it, turns south, joining the North Atlantic gyre. And across the ocean, to the east, towards the North Atlantic current rushes, which is sometimes considered part of the secondary oceanic.

GULF STREAM

Gulfstream

warm current in sowing parts of the Atlantic Ocean. Name Gulfstream (Gulf Stream) from English, gulf "bay", stream "flow" and means letters, "flood current"- it is formed in the Strait of Florida as a waste stream of the Gulf of Mexico. Discovered Spanish seafarers in early XVI in. and was first called the Florida Current. The name Gulf Stream was proposed by the Americans. scientist Benjamin Franklin in 1722 G.

Geographical names of the world: Toponymic dictionary. - M: AST. Pospelov E.M. 2001 .

GULF STREAM

system of warm currents in sowing. parts of the Atlantic Ocean. Formed in the south. part of the Strait of Florida, in the ocean it connects with the Antilles Current and moves to the north along the North. America to the Newfoundland Bank, after which it is called the North Atlantic Current. Width up to 200 km, flow thickness 700-800 m, speed 10 km/h.

Brief geographical dictionary. EdwART. 2008 .

gulf stream

(gulf stream), the system of warm currents in the sowing. hours of the Atlantic Ocean, extending over 10 thousand km from the Florida Peninsula to the Spitsbergen Islands and New Earth. Discovered by Spanish navigators at the beginning of the 16th century. and called Florida current . The name Gulf Stream in 1722 was proposed by B. Franklin. Originates in the south. h. Florida Ave. as a result of a strong surge of trade winds of water into the Gulf of Mexico. through the Yucatan Strait. When entering the ocean, the current capacity is 2160 km³ per day, which is 20 times the flow of all rivers the globe. Going out into the ocean, it connects with the Antilles current and at 38 ° N.l. its power more than triples. Further, the G. moves at a speed of 6–10 km / h to the N. along Atlantic coast Sev. America to Bol. Newfoundland Bank, outside of which is called North Atlantic Current . The width of the stream from south to north increases from 75 to 200 km, the thickness is 700–800 m, and the water temperature on the surface decreases from 24–28 to 10–20 °C. G. renders a huge impact on nature sowing. part of the Atlantic Ocean and the adjacent part of the North. Arctic Ocean, as well as on the climate of Europe, creating very mild climatic conditions in temperate and arctic latitudes.

Dictionary of modern geographical names. - Yekaterinburg: U-Factoria. Under general edition acad. V. M. Kotlyakova. 2006 .

gulf stream

system of warm currents in the North Atlantic Ocean. It spreads over 10 thousand km - from the Florida Peninsula to Svalbard and Novaya Zemlya. Originates in the south. part of the Strait of Florida as a result of a strong surge of trade winds of water through the Yucatan Strait into the Gulf of Mexico, which leads to a significant level difference between the Gulf of Mexico and the adjacent part of the Atlantic Ocean. When entering the ocean, the current capacity is 2160 km³ per day, which is 20 times higher than the flow rate of all the rivers of the globe. Going out into the ocean, it connects with the Antilles Current, and at 38 ° N. sh. power more than triples.
The Gulf Stream moves to the north at a speed of 6–10 km/h along the Atlantic coast of the North. America to the Great Newfoundland Bank, beyond which is called the North Atlantic Current. Shir. the flow to the south is 75 km, the thickness is 700–800 m, the water temperature on the surface is 24–28 °C; in the region of the Great Newfoundland Bank lat. the flow reaches 200 km, the speed is up to 4 km/h, the water temperature on the surface is 10–20 °C. At the south The cold Labrador Current approaches the outskirts of the Great Newfoundland Bank from the north, which causes mixing and subsidence of surface waters.
Off the coast of Europe, the Gulf Stream is divided into a number of branches. The warm Irminger Current enters the Greenland Sea, bypassing Iceland from the west; The West Greenland current bends around from the south of Greenland and follows along its west. shores in the Baffin Sea; The Norwegian current runs along the west. shores of the Scandinavian Peninsula, and at its north. the tip is separated by the North Cape current, going to the east along the south. parts Barents Sea. Main the Gulf Stream continues to the north and runs along the west. coast of Svalbard. To the north, it plunges into the cold waters of the North. Arctic Ocean and is preserved here as a warm and salty intermediate current.
The Gulf Stream has a huge impact on the climate, hydrological and biological conditions of sowing. parts of the Atlantic Ocean and the adjacent part of the North. the Arctic Ocean, as well as the climate of Europe, creating very mild conditions for sowing. latitudes. January temperatures deviate from Wed. latitudinal values ​​in Norway by 15–20°, and in Murmansk by more than 10°.
Warm current in the sowing. part of the Atlantic Ocean was discovered in the beginning. 16th century Spanish sailors who named it the Florida Current. The name Gulf Stream was proposed (in 1722) by the American scientist B. Franklin.

Geography. Modern illustrated encyclopedia. - M.: Rosman. Under the editorship of prof. A. P. Gorkina. 2006 .

Gulfstream

a warm current in the middle latitudes of the northern part of the Atlantic Ocean, moving north eastbound. The main branch of this current originates in Gulf of Mexico(Where does its name come from, meaning in translation from in English"current from the bay") and penetrates into the Atlantic through the Strait of Florida; further, the current deviates to the north by the Great Bahama Bank, an underwater platform located southeast of the Florida Peninsula.
Emerging from the Gulf of Mexico, the Gulf Stream carries large accumulations of floating algae of the genus Sargassum and different types thermophilic fish (including flying ones). Off the east coast of Florida, the boundaries of the Gulf Stream are clear, especially the western one. The sparkling blue of this current contrasts sharply with the greenish-gray colder waters of the North Atlantic.
The flow itself is not just homogeneous mass moving ribbon of water. It consists of several streams having approximately the same direction. Near its eastern edge there are numerous right-twisting eddies; some of them are even completely separated from the main stream.
Near the Great Bahama Bank, the Gulf Stream receives a branch of the Northern Equatorial Current and follows in general parallel to the east coast of the United States, but at a small distance from it. Since warm waters This current is associated with a mild winter in Bermuda. Near Cape Hatteras (coast of pc. North Carolina) The Gulf Stream turns to the northeast and heads towards the Great Bank of Newfoundland. Here it meets the cold Labrador Current and also comes into contact with colder air coming from the north. As a result, fogs are almost constantly observed in this area. From the Great Newfoundland Bank, the Gulf Stream moves eastward to the shores of Europe (this part of it is called the course of the West Winds). Approximately in the middle of the North Atlantic, the Gulf Stream divides into two currents. One of them follows further east to the shores of Europe, and then, turning south, forms the Canary Current, the other, called the North Atlantic Current, gradually deviates to the left and continues to move to the northeast. This current passes western coasts The British Isles, where a branch again separates from it, heading west, to the southern shores of Iceland, the Irminger Current. Another part of the North Atlantic Current, the Norwegian Current, follows the coast of Norway.

Encyclopedia Around the World. 2008 .

Synonyms:

See what "GULF STREAM" is in other dictionaries:

- (Gulf stream) is the name of one of the most important ocean currents Northern half of the Atlantic Ocean, which has a large navigational and physical geographical importance. It is a continuation of that branch of the combined Guiana and Northern ... ... Marine Dictionary

Modern Encyclopedia

Gulfstream- (English Gulf Stream), a system of warm currents in the northern part of the Atlantic Ocean (the largest of them are the Gulf Stream proper and the North Atlantic Current). It stretches for 10 thousand km from the coast of the Florida peninsula to the Great Newfoundland ... Illustrated encyclopedic Dictionary

- (English Gulf Stream) a system of warm currents in the northern part of the Atlantic Ocean, extending for 10 thousand km from the coast of the Florida Peninsula to the islands of Svalbard and Novaya Zemlya. Speed ​​from 6 10 km/h in Florida Strait. up to 3 4 km / h in the B. area ... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

Current, golfstrom, golfstrom Dictionary of Russian synonyms. golf stream n., number of synonyms: 3 golf stream (3) ... Synonym dictionary

GULF STREAM A relatively fast current in the North Atlantic Ocean. Originates in the Gulf of Mexico, USA; flows along the east coast of North America, then across the Atlantic Ocean (in this place it is called NORTH ... ... Scientific and technical encyclopedic dictionary

- (Fill current) one of the most remarkable sea currents, passes in the sowing. Atlantic Ocean from the West Indies to the shores of Europe, in the north. Arctic Ocean and to the west. the shores of Greenland. For the first time, this name was given by Franklin, who considered the origin ... Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron

Gulfstream - ■ famous city in Norway, recently opened ... Lexicon of Common Truths

In Western Europe, as well as east coast The US climate is quite mild. So on the coast of Florida, the average water temperature is very rarely below 22 ° Celsius. It's in winter months. In summer, the air heats up to 36°-39° Celsius with humidity reaching 100%. Such temperature regime extends far to the east and north. It covers the states: Arkansas, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Texas, Kentucky, Georgia, Louisiana, and North and South Carolina.

All these administrative formations lie in the region of a humid subtropical climate, where the summer average daily temperature does not fall below 25 ° Celsius, and in the winter months it drops to 0 ° Celsius very rarely.

If you take Western Europe, then the Iberian, Apennine and Balkan Peninsulas, as well as the entire southern part France are located in subtropical zone. The summer temperature in it fluctuates between 26°-28° Celsius. AT winter period these figures drop to 2°-5° Celsius, but almost never reach 0°.

In Scandinavia, the average winter temperature ranges from minus 4° to 2° Celsius. In the summer months it rises to 8°-14°. That is, even in northern regions the climate is quite acceptable and suitable for comfortable living.

The Gulf Stream

This temperature grace takes place in a vast region for a reason. It is directly related to ocean current Gulfstream. It is he who forms the climate and gives people the opportunity to enjoy warm weather almost all year round.

The Gulf Stream is a whole system of warm currents in the northern part of the Atlantic Ocean. Its total length covers a distance of 10 thousand kilometers from the sultry coast of Florida to the ice-covered islands of Svalbard and Novaya Zemlya. Huge masses of water begin their movement in the Strait of Florida. Their volume reaches 25 million cubic meters per second.

The Gulf Stream moves slowly and majestically along the east coast of North America and crosses 40°N. sh. Near the island of Newfoundland, it meets the Labrador Current. The latter carries cold waters to the south and makes warm streams water turn east.

After such a collision, the Gulf Stream splits into two currents. One rushes north and turns into the North Atlantic Current. It is this that forms the climate in Western Europe. The remaining mass reaches the coast of Spain and turns south. Off the coast of Africa, it meets the North Trade Wind Current and deviates west, ending its journey in the Sargasso Sea, from which it is within easy reach of the Gulf of Mexico. Then the cycle of huge masses of water is repeated.

This has been going on for thousands of years. Sometimes a mighty warm current weakens, slows down, reduces heat transfer, and then cold falls to the ground. An example of this is a small glacial period. The Europeans saw it in XIV-XIX centuries. Every heat-loving inhabitant of Europe has experienced on his own skin what a real frosty snowy winter is.

True, before that, in the VIII-XIII centuries, there was a noticeable warming. In other words, the Gulf Stream was gaining strength and giving back very a large number of heat to the atmosphere. Accordingly, in the lands European continent the weather was very warm, and snowy cold winters had not been observed for centuries.

Today, mighty warm water currents also affect the climate as in old times. Nothing has changed under the sun and the laws of nature have remained the same. That's just a man in his technical progress walked very far. His relentless activity triggered the Greenhouse Effect.

The result was the melting of the ice of Greenland and the Arctic Ocean. Huge masses fresh water poured into salt water and headed south. Today, this situation is already beginning to affect the mighty warm current. Some experts predict the imminent stop of the Gulf Stream, since he will not be able to cope with the influx of alien waters. This will entail cold snap in Western Europe and on the east coast of North America.

The situation was aggravated biggest accident on the oil field Tiber in the Gulf of Mexico. Under water in the bowels of the earth, geologists have found huge reserves of oil, estimated at 1.8 billion tons. Experts drilled a well, the depth of which was 10,680 meters. Of these, 1259 meters were in the ocean water column. In April 2010 on oil platform a fire broke out. It blazed for two days and claimed the lives of 11 people. But it was, though tragic, but a prelude to what happened after that.

The burnt platform sank, and from the well to open ocean oil began to leak. According to official sources, 700 tons of oil per day entered the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. However, independent experts named a different figure - 13.5 thousand tons per day.

A huge oil film in its area hampered the movement Atlantic waters, and this, accordingly, began to negatively affect heat transfer. Hence there was a violation in the circulation of the air currents of the Atlantic. They no longer had the strength to move east and form the usual mild climate there.

The result was a terrible heat wave in Eastern Europe in the summer of 2010, when the air temperature rose to 45° Celsius. provoked similar to the wind from North Africa. They, not meeting any resistance on their way, brought a hot and dry cyclone to the north. He hovered over vast territory and kept over it for almost two months, destroying all life.

At the same time, Western Europe was being shaken terrible floods, since the heavy, moisture-filled clouds coming from the Atlantic did not have enough strength to break through the dry and hot front. They were forced to dump tons of water on the ground. All this provoked a sharp rise in the level of rivers and, as a result, various catastrophes and human tragedies.

What are the immediate prospects, and what awaits old Europe in the near future? Experts say that the cardinal climate change will begin to be felt in 2020. Western Europe is waiting for a cooling and rising sea levels. This will provoke the impoverishment of the middle class, as it cash invested in real estate, which will plummet in value.

This will create political and social tensions in all sectors of society. The consequences of this can be the most tragic. It is simply impossible to predict something specific, since there are many scenarios for the development of events. One thing is clear: hard times are coming.

The current of the Gulf Stream, today, thanks to global warming and the catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico, has practically closed in a ring and does not provide sufficient thermal energy to the North Atlantic Current. Accordingly, the air flow is disturbed. Above European territory completely different winds begin to dominate. The usual climatic balance is disturbed - this is already noticeable with a simple eye.

In such a situation, anyone can feel a sense of anxiety and hopelessness. Of course, not for the fate of hundreds of millions of people, since this is too vague and unclear, but for the specific fate of their relatives and friends. But to despair, and even more so to panic, is premature. How it will actually be - no one knows.

The future is full of surprises. It is not at all excluded that global warming is not at all like that. This is a normal rise in temperatures within the climate cycle. Its duration is 60 years. That is, for six decades the temperature on the planet has been steadily increasing, and for the next 60 years it is slowly decreasing. Start last cycle dated to the end of 1979. It turns out that half of the way has already been passed and only 30 years are left to endure.

The Gulf Stream is too powerful a stream of water to simply change direction or disappear like that. There may be some failures and deviations, but they will never turn into global and irreversible processes. There are simply no prerequisites for this. At least these days, they don't.

Yuri Syromyatnikov