Navigators learned about the presence of ocean currents almost immediately, as soon as they began to surf the waters of the oceans. True, the public paid attention to them only when, thanks to the movement of ocean waters, many great geographical discoveries were made, for example, Christopher Columbus sailed to America thanks to the North Equatorial Current. After that, not only sailors, but also scientists began to pay close attention to ocean currents and strive to explore them as best and as deeply as possible.

Already in the second half of the XVIII century. the sailors studied the Gulf Stream quite well and successfully applied their knowledge in practice: they went with the flow from America to Great Britain, and kept a certain distance in the opposite direction. This allowed them to be two weeks ahead of ships whose captains were not familiar with the terrain.

Oceanic or sea currents are large-scale movements of the water masses of the World Ocean at a speed of 1 to 9 km / h. These streams do not move randomly, but in a certain channel and direction, which is the main reason why they are sometimes called the rivers of the oceans: the width of the largest currents can be several hundred kilometers, and the length can reach more than one thousand.

It has been established that water flows do not move straight, but deviating slightly to the side, they obey the Coriolis force. In the Northern Hemisphere they almost always move clockwise, in the Southern Hemisphere it is vice versa.. At the same time, currents located in tropical latitudes (they are called equatorial or trade winds) move mainly from east to west. The strongest currents were recorded along the eastern coasts of the continents.

Water flows do not circulate by themselves, but they are set in motion by a sufficient number of factors - the wind, the rotation of the planet around its axis, the gravitational fields of the Earth and the Moon, the bottom topography, the outlines of continents and islands, the difference in temperature indicators of water, its density, depth in various places of the ocean and even its physico-chemical composition.

Of all the types of water flows, the most pronounced are the surface currents of the World Ocean, the depth of which is often several hundred meters. Their occurrence was influenced by trade winds, constantly moving in tropical latitudes in a west-east direction. These trade winds form huge streams of the North and South Equatorial currents near the equator. A smaller part of these flows returns to the east, forming a countercurrent (when the movement of water occurs in the opposite direction from the movement of air masses). Most, colliding with the continents and islands, turns to the north or south.

Warm and cold water streams

It must be taken into account that the concepts of "cold" or "warm" currents are conditional definitions. So, despite the fact that the temperature indicators of the water flows of the Benguela Current, which flows along the Cape of Good Hope, are 20 ° C, it is considered cold. But the North Cape Current, which is one of the branches of the Gulf Stream, with temperatures ranging from 4 to 6 ° C, is warm.

This happens because the cold, warm and neutral currents got their names based on a comparison of the temperature of their water with the temperature indicators of the ocean surrounding them:

• If the temperature indicators of the water flow coincide with the temperature of the waters surrounding it, such a flow is called neutral;
• If the temperature of the currents is lower than the surrounding water, they are called cold. They usually flow from high latitudes to low latitudes (for example, the Labrador Current), or from areas where, due to the large flow of rivers, ocean water has a reduced salinity of surface waters;
• If the temperature of the currents is warmer than the surrounding water, then they are called warm. They move from the tropics to subpolar latitudes, such as the Gulf Stream.

Main water flows

At the moment, scientists have recorded about fifteen major oceanic water flows in the Pacific, fourteen in the Atlantic, seven in the Indian and four in the Arctic Ocean.

It is interesting that all the currents of the Arctic Ocean move at the same speed - 50 cm / s, three of them, namely the West Greenland, West Svalbard and Norwegian, are warm, and only the East Greenland belongs to the cold current.

But almost all oceanic currents of the Indian Ocean are warm or neutral, while the Monsoon, Somali, West Australian and the Cape of Needles (cold) move at a speed of 70 cm / s, the speed of the rest varies from 25 to 75 cm / s. The water flows of this ocean are interesting because, along with the seasonal monsoon winds, which change their direction twice a year, ocean rivers also change their course: in winter they mainly flow west, in summer - east (a phenomenon characteristic only of the Indian Ocean). ).

Since the Atlantic Ocean stretches from north to south, its currents also have a meridional direction. Water streams located in the north move clockwise, in the south - against it.

A striking example of the flow of the Atlantic Ocean is the Gulf Stream, which, starting in the Caribbean Sea, carries warm waters to the north, breaking up into several side streams along the way. When the waters of the Gulf Stream end up in the Barents Sea, they enter the Arctic Ocean, where they cool and turn south in the form of a cold Greenland current, after which at some stage they deviate to the west and again adjoin the Gulf Stream, forming a vicious circle.

The currents of the Pacific Ocean are mainly latitudinal and form two huge circles: northern and southern. Since the Pacific Ocean is extremely large, it is not surprising that its water flows have a significant impact on most of our planet.

For example, the trade winds move warm water from the western tropical coasts to the eastern ones, which is why the western part of the Pacific Ocean in the tropical zone is much warmer than the opposite side. But in the temperate latitudes of the Pacific Ocean, on the contrary, the temperature is higher in the east.

deep currents

For quite a long time, scientists believed that the deep ocean waters were almost motionless. But soon, special underwater vehicles discovered both slow and fast-flowing water flows at great depths.

For example, under the Equatorial Pacific Ocean at a depth of about one hundred meters, scientists have identified the Cromwell underwater stream, moving eastward at a speed of 112 km / day.

A similar movement of water flows, but already in the Atlantic Ocean, was found by Soviet scientists: the width of the Lomonosov current is about 322 km, and the maximum speed of 90 km / day was recorded at a depth of about one hundred meters. After that, another underwater stream was discovered in the Indian Ocean, however, its speed turned out to be much lower - about 45 km / day.

The discovery of these currents in the ocean gave rise to new theories and mysteries, the main of which is the question of why they appeared, how they formed, and whether the entire area of ​​the ocean is covered by currents or there is a point where the water is still.

The influence of the ocean on the life of the planet

The role of ocean currents in the life of our planet cannot be overestimated, since the movement of water flows directly affects the planet's climate, weather, and marine organisms. Many compare the ocean to a huge heat engine powered by solar energy. This machine creates a continuous water exchange between the surface and deep layers of the ocean, providing it with oxygen dissolved in water and affecting the life of marine life.

This process can be traced, for example, by considering the Peruvian Current, which is located in the Pacific Ocean. Thanks to the rise of deep waters, which raise phosphorus and nitrogen, animal and plant plankton successfully develop on the ocean surface, as a result of which the food chain is organized. Plankton is eaten by small fish, which, in turn, becomes a victim of larger fish, birds, marine mammals, which, with such food abundance, settle here, making the region one of the most highly productive areas of the World Ocean.

It also happens that a cold current becomes warm: the average ambient temperature rises by several degrees, which causes warm tropical showers to fall on the ground, which, once in the ocean, kill fish accustomed to cold temperatures. The result is deplorable - a huge amount of dead small fish ends up in the ocean, large fish leave, fishing stops, birds leave their nests. As a result, the local population is deprived of fish, crops that were beaten by downpours, and profits from the sale of guano (bird droppings) as fertilizer. It can often take several years to restore the former ecosystem.

Answer left Guru

ocean currents
Atlantic Ocean
The northern trade wind current is warm………………… (Sptt)

The Gulf Stream is warm …………………………. (GTT)

The Antilles current is warm …………………… ……… (Att)

The North Atlantic Current is warm…………… (Satt)

The Caribbean current is warm……………………………. (Kartt)

The Lomonosov Current is warm…………………………… (TLT)

The Guinean current is warm ……………………………(Gwth)

The Brazilian current is warm ………………………….(Brtt)

The Canary current is cold ………………………. (Kanth)

Labrador current is cold ………………… (Labth)

The Bengal current is cold ……………………. (Benth)

The Falkland Current is cold…………………… (Folth)

The course of the western winds is cold ……………… .. (Твх)

Indian Ocean

The monsoon current is warm………………………………… (Tmt)

The south trade wind current is warm …………………… (Yuptt)

The Madagascar current is warm………………….. (Madtt)

The Somali current is cold…………………… (Somth)

The course of the western winds is cold………………… (Twvh)

Pacific Ocean

The North Pacific current is warm…………. (Sttt)

The Alaska current is warm ……………………………(Att)

The Kuroshio current is warm …………………………………(TKt)

The trade wind countercurrent is warm……………. (Mprt)

South trade wind current is warm …………………….(Yuptt)

Cromwell current, warm ………………………………(TKt)

East Australian current warm………… (WAth)

The California current is cold………………… (Kalth)

The Peruvian current is cold ………………………(Perth)

The course of the western winds is cold………….…….. (Tzvh)

Arctic Ocean

Svalbard current is warm ……………………..(Shtt)

The Norwegian current is warm……………………….…… (Ntt)

East Greenland Current is cold………(VGth)
Notes: 1. The Pacific Ocean has fewer currents than the Atlantic Ocean.

(15 currents in the Atlantic, 10 in the Pacific, 5 in the Indian and 3 in the North. Total: 33 currents.

Of these: 22 are warm, 11 are cold).

2. The cold westerly wind current (Twwh) covers three oceans.

3. The warm south-trade current (Juptt) also flows through three oceans.

4. Warm trade wind countercurrents (Mprt) are located in two large oceans:

in the Pacific and Atlantic.

5. Warm northern currents (Atlantic and Pacific) - are available in two oceans.

6. In the Atlantic Ocean: 10 warm currents, 5 cold.

In the Pacific Ocean: 7-warm, 3-cold.

In the Indian Ocean: 3-warm, 2-cold.

In the Northern Ocean: 2-warm, 1-cold.

Answer left Guest

North trade wind current warm Gulf Stream current warm Antilles current warm North Atlantic current warm Caribbean current warm Intertrade counter current warm South trade wind current warm Lomonosov current warm Guinea current warm Brazil current warm Canary current cold Labrador current cold Bengal current cold Falkland current cold West wind current cold Monsoon current warm South trade wind current warm Madagascar current warm Somali current cold West wind current cold North Pacific current warm Alaska current warm Kuroshio current warm Equatorial counter current warm South trade wind current warm Cromwell Current, warm East Australian current warm California current cold Peruvian current cold West wind current cold Svalbard current warm Norwegian current warm East Greenland current cold

The fastest and coldest current in the southern hemisphere of the Earth

New deep current

A new deep-sea current was discovered by oceanologists. This current owes its formation to the melting of glaciers, which has only intensified recently. It carries cold waters from the coast of Antarctica to the most equatorial latitudes - this is exactly what Japanese and Australian scientists told the world when they published the results of their research in the journal Nature Geoscience.

According to the observations of scientists, glacial melt water enters the Ross Sea and keeps its course east to the underwater Kerguelen Plateau, located 3,000 km southwest of the Australian continent. The waters are then literally thrown into the ocean in a fast current. This relatively small and narrow stream, no more than 50 km wide, originates at a depth of 3 km. Its temperature is almost 0 degrees, or more precisely - 0.2 oC.

Current speed 700 meters per hour

Scientists have been looking at this current for almost two years and found that it is capable of carrying 30 million cubic meters of water in just one second, that is, its speed is no less than 700 m/h. Another, the same cold and fast current, located in the Southern Ocean, has not yet been found.

It is very difficult to identify and study such currents. In addition to the time spent, the researchers needed 30 impressive automatic stations, which had to be placed along the entire proposed current, and then regularly collect and process the readings of these stations, analyzing literally everything. After a two-year stay on the seabed, the specialists removed them and again carefully compared and studied all the indicators of the devices.

Currents as an indicator of planetary health

This discovery, as scientists say, helps us to study the mechanism of interaction between melting glaciers and the waters of the oceans, which is still largely a mystery to people, and also to better understand how the oceans will react to the increasing concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

It is worth noting that the Gulf Stream is the most powerful warm current in the world ocean, and the West Wind Drift is considered the most powerful current in the world.

Victoria Fabisek, Samogo.Net

Warm and cold currents

Sea currents (ocean currents) - translational movements of water masses in the seas and oceans, due to various forces (the action of the friction force between water and air, pressure gradients arising in water, tide-forming forces of the Moon and the Sun). The direction of sea currents is greatly influenced by the rotation of the Earth, which deflects currents in the Northern Hemisphere to the right, in the Southern Hemisphere - to the left.

Sea currents are caused either by the friction of the wind on the sea surface (wind currents), or by the uneven distribution of temperature and salinity of the water (density currents), or by the level slope (runoff currents). By the nature of variability, there are constant, temporary and periodic (tidal origin), by location - surface, subsurface, intermediate, deep and near-bottom. By physical and chemical properties - desalinated and salty.

Warm and cold sea currents

In these currents, the water temperature is respectively higher or lower than the ambient temperature. Warm currents are directed from low to high latitudes (for example, the Gulf Stream), cold currents are directed from high to low (Labrador). Currents with the temperature of the surrounding waters are called neutral.

The temperature of the current is considered relative to the surrounding waters. A warm current has a water temperature several degrees higher than the surrounding ocean water. Cold flow is the opposite. Warm currents usually move from warmer latitudes to colder latitudes, while cold ones do the opposite. You already know that currents significantly affect the climate of the coasts. Thus, warm currents increase the air temperature by 3-5 0C and increase the amount of precipitation. Cold currents lower temperatures and reduce rainfall.

On geographic maps, warm currents are shown with red arrows, cold ones with blue arrows.

The Gulf Stream is one of the largest warm currents in the Northern Hemisphere. It passes through the Gulf of Mexico (eng. Gulf Stream - the Gulf) and carries the warm tropical waters of the Atlantic Ocean to high latitudes. This giant stream of warm water largely determines the climate of Europe, making it soft and warm. Every second, the Gulf Stream carries 75 million tons of water (for comparison: the Amazon, the most full-flowing river in the world, is 220 thousand tons of water). At a depth of about 1 km under the Gulf Stream, a countercurrent is observed.

Note another current in the Atlantic - the North Atlantic. It runs across the ocean to the east, towards Europe. The North Atlantic Current is less powerful than the Gulf Stream. The water flow here is from 20 to 40 million cubic meters per second, and the speed is from 0.5 to 1.8 km/h, depending on the location.
However, the influence of the North Atlantic Current on the climate of Europe is very noticeable. Together with the Gulf Stream and other currents (Norwegian, North Cape, Murmansk), the North Atlantic Current softens the climate of Europe and the temperature regime of the seas washing it. Only one warm current, the Gulf Stream, cannot have such an impact on the climate of Europe: after all, the existence of this current ends thousands of kilometers from the coast of Europe.

In the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of South America, the cold Peruvian current passes. The air masses that form above its cold waters are not saturated with moisture and do not bring precipitation to land. As a result, there is no precipitation on the coast for several years, which led to the emergence of the Atacama Desert there.

The most powerful current of the World Ocean is the cold current of the West Winds, also called the Antarctic circumpolar (from lat. cirkum - around). The reason for its formation are strong and stable westerly winds blowing from west to east over vast expanses of the Southern Hemisphere from temperate latitudes to the coast of Antarctica. This current covers a zone 2500 km wide, extends to a depth of more than 1 km and carries up to 200 million tons of water every second. There are no large land masses on the path of the Western Winds, and it connects in its circular flow the waters of three oceans - the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian.

The Atlantic Ocean, or the Atlantic, is the second largest (after the Pacific) and the most developed among other water areas. From the east it is limited by the coast of South and North America, from the west - by Africa and Europe, in the north - by Greenland, in the south it merges with the Southern Ocean.

Distinctive features of the Atlantic: a small number of islands, a complex bottom topography and a heavily indented coastline.

Ocean characteristics

Area: 91.66 million sq. km, with 16% of the territory falling on the seas and bays.

Volume: 329.66 million sq. km

Salinity: 35‰.

Depth: average - 3736 m, maximum - 8742 m (Puerto Rico Trench).

Temperature: in the very south and north - about 0 ° C, at the equator - 26-28 ° C.

Currents: conventionally, 2 circulations are distinguished - the Northern (currents move clockwise) and the Southern (counterclockwise). The gyres are separated by the Equatorial inter-trade countercurrent.

Main currents of the Atlantic Ocean

Warm:

Northern trade wind - begins off the western coast of Africa, crosses the ocean from east to west and meets the Gulf Stream near Cuba.

gulf stream- the most powerful current in the world, which carries 140 million cubic meters of water per second (for comparison: all the rivers of the world carry only 1 million cubic meters of water per second). It originates near the coast of the Bahamas, where the Florida and Antilles currents meet. Together, they give rise to the Gulf Stream, which, through the strait between Cuba and the Florida Peninsula, enters the Atlantic Ocean with a powerful stream. The current then moves north along the US coast. Approximately off the coast of North Carolina, the Gulf Stream turns east and out into the open ocean. After about 1500 km, it meets the cold Labrador Current, which slightly changes the course of the Gulf Stream and carries it to the northeast. Closer to Europe, the current is divided into two branches: Azores and North Atlantic.

It has only recently become known that a reverse current flows 2 km below the Gulf Stream, heading from Greenland to the Sargasso Sea. This stream of icy water was called the Antigulf Stream.

north atlantic- a continuation of the Gulf Stream, which washes the western coast of Europe and brings the warmth of the southern latitudes, providing a mild and warm climate.

Antillean- begins east of the island of Puerto Rico, flows north and joins the Gulf Stream near the Bahamas. Speed ​​— 1-1.9 km/h, water temperature 25-28°C.

Intertrade countercurrent - current around the globe at the equator. In the Atlantic, it separates the North Equatorial and South Equatorial currents.

South trade wind (or South Equatorial) - passes through the southern tropics. The average water temperature is 30°C. When the South Equatorial Current reaches the shores of South America, it divides into two branches: caribbean, or Guiana (flows north to the coast of Mexico) and brazilian- moves south along the coast of Brazil.

Guinean located in the Gulf of Guinea. It flows from west to east and then turns south. Together with the Angolan and South Equatorial forms a cyclic course of the Gulf of Guinea.

Cold:

Lomonosov countercurrent - discovered by a Soviet expedition in 1959. It originates off the coast of Brazil and moves north. A stream 200 km wide crosses the equator and flows into the Gulf of Guinea.

Canarian- flows from north to south, towards the equator along the coast of Africa. This wide stream (up to 1 thousand km) near Madeira and the Canary Islands meets the Azores and Portuguese currents. Approximately in the region of 15°N. joins with the Equatorial Countercurrent.

Labrador - begins in the strait between Canada and Greenland. It flows south to the Newfoundland bank, where it meets the Gulf Stream. The waters of the current carry cold from the Arctic Ocean, and along with the stream, huge icebergs are carried south. In particular, the iceberg that destroyed the famous Titanic was brought by the Labrador Current.

Benguela- is born near the Cape of Good Hope and moves along the coast of Africa to the north.

Falkland (or Malvinas) branches off from the West Wind Current and flows north along the east coast of South America to La Plata Bay. Temperature: 4-15°C.

The course of the westerly winds encircles the globe in the region of 40-50 °S. The stream moves from west to east. In the Atlantic it branches off South Atlantic flow.

Underwater world of the Atlantic Ocean

The underwater world of the Atlantic is poorer in diversity than in the Pacific Ocean. This is due to the fact that the Atlantic Ocean was more frozen during the ice age. But the Atlantic is richer in the number of individuals of each species.

The flora and fauna of the underwater world is clearly distributed across climatic zones.

The flora is represented mainly by algae and flowering plants (Zostera, Posidonia, Fucus). In the northern latitudes, kelp predominates, in temperate latitudes - red algae. Phytoplankton flourishes throughout the ocean at depths of up to 100 m.

The fauna is rich in species. Almost all species and classes of marine animals live in the Atlantic. Of the commercial fish, herring, sardine, and flounder are especially valued. There is an active catch of crustaceans and mollusks, whaling is limited.

The tropical belt of the Atlantic is striking in its abundance. There are many corals and many amazing species of animals: turtles, flying fish, several dozen species of sharks.

For the first time the name of the ocean is found in the writings of Herodotus (5th century BC), who calls it the sea of ​​Atlantis. And in the 1st century AD. Roman scientist Pliny the Elder writes about the vast expanse of water, which he calls Oceanus Atlantikus. But the official name "Atlantic Ocean" was fixed only by the 17th century.

There are 4 stages in the history of Atlantic exploration:

1. From antiquity to the 15th century. The first documents that talk about the ocean date back to the 1st millennium BC. The ancient Phoenicians, Egyptians, Cretans and Greeks knew the coastal zones of the water area well. Preserved maps of those times with detailed measurements of depths, indications of currents.

2. Time of the Great geographical discoveries (XV-XVII centuries). The development of the Atlantic continues, the ocean becomes one of the main trade routes. In 1498, Vasco de Gama, rounding Africa, paved the way to India. 1493-1501 Three voyages of Columbus to America. The Bermuda anomaly has been identified, many currents have been discovered, detailed maps of depths, coastal zones, temperatures, and bottom topography have been compiled.

Expeditions of Franklin in 1770, I. Kruzenshtern and Yu. Lisyansky in 1804-06.

3. XIX-first half of the XX century - the beginning of scientific oceanographic research. Chemistry, physics, biology, geology of the ocean are being studied. A map of currents has been drawn up, and research is being carried out to lay a submarine cable between Europe and America.

4. 1950s - our days. A comprehensive study of all components of oceanography is being carried out. In priority: studying the climate of different zones, identifying global atmospheric problems, ecology, mining, ensuring the movement of ships, seafood.

In the center of the Belize Barrier Reef is a unique underwater cave - the Great Blue Hole. Its depth is 120 meters, and at the very bottom there is a whole gallery of smaller caves connected by tunnels.

The only sea in the world without shores, the Sargasso, is located in the Atlantic. Its borders are formed by ocean currents.

One of the most mysterious places on the planet is located here: the Bermuda Triangle. The Atlantic Ocean is also the birthplace of another myth (or reality?) - the mainland of Atlantis.

In the circulation of the waters of the World Ocean, the largest role belongs to currents, which owe their appearance mainly to the action of constant winds.

Other factors in them, in comparison with the wind, recede into the background, as a result of which these currents are called drift currents. It is obvious that the beginning of drift currents must be sought in those regions of the ocean where the constant or prevailing winds are expressed especially well and correctly, i.e., primarily in the zone of development of the trade winds.

In this zone of the Atlantic Ocean, there are two trade winds (equatorial) currents. Deviated from the direction of the corresponding trade winds by 30-40 °, both of them carry water from east to west.

South of the equator is the South Equatorial Current. Its edge, facing the polar latitudes, does not have a clear boundary; the other edge, facing the equator, is more distinct, but its position, due to the movement of the trade winds themselves, changes somewhat; thus, in February, the northern boundary of the South Equatorial Current lies at about 2°N. sh., in August near 5 ° with. sh.

The South Trade Wind flows from the coast of Africa to the coast of America. At Cape San Roque, it divides into two branches, one of which, under the name of the Guiana Current, heads northwest along the coast of the mainland to the Antilles, and the other, known as the Brazilian Current, goes southwest to the mouth of La Plata, where and meets with the cold Falkland current running from Cape Horn along the coast of the continent; here the Brazilian current turns to the left; water masses rush to the east, cross the Atlantic Ocean and then, once again deviating to the left, rise from south to north along the western coast of Africa in the form of a cold Bengal current, merging with the South Tradewind. This closes the circle of currents in the southern part of the Atlantic, in which the water moves counterclockwise - mainly along the periphery of the South Atlantic anticyclone.

The edge of the North Equatorial Current, facing the high latitudes, is just as indefinite as the analogous edge of the South Employment Current; the southern boundary is more distinct and in February lies at 3°N. sh., in August at 13 ° N. sh. The current, caused by the northeast trade wind, begins to the west of Cape Verde (about 20° W), crosses the ocean, and then passes into the slow Antilles Current, washing the garland of the Antilles from the outside. In addition, part of the North Trade Wind current joins the Guiana Islands in the region of the Lesser Antilles, and this combined stream enters the Caribbean Sea, forming the Caribbean Current here. There is a compensatory countercurrent to the east between the North and South Equatorial Currents; its extended extension is called the Guinea current and ends in the Gulf of Guinea.

The American semi-enclosed sea, and, in particular, its northern part - the Gulf of Mexico - serves as an area where the trade wind, which actually blows from the east, continuously draws water. The accumulation of water gets an outlet through the Strait of Florida, forming a powerful Florida Current, which occupies the entire width of the strait (150 km) and is felt to a depth of 800 m; its speed is about 130 km per day, and the water consumption is about 90 billion tons per hour; surface water temperature 27-28°; however, this temperature fluctuates somewhat depending on the change in the strength of the trade winds, forcing warm water into the Gulf of Mexico.

The Florida Current rushes north as it exits the strait. In the channel between Florida and the Bahamas, its width, equal to the entire width of the channel, is 80 km; warm (24 °) dark blue water is very sharply delimited in color from the waters of the rest of the sea.

In the region of Cape Hatteras, the weaker Antilles joins the Florida Current. In the latest oceanographic literature, it is this united current that is given the name Gulf Stream.

The Gulf Stream differs from the Florida Current in its greater width and lower speed, which is 60 km per day 500 km north of the Bahamas. The Gulf Stream moves along the coasts of America, deviating from them to the right, and nowhere, even at its beginning, does it directly wash the mainland: there is always a strip of colder water between it and the coast. In winter, the temperature difference between the Gulf Stream and coastal water reaches 8 ° near Cape Hatteras, and 12-15 ° at the latitude of New York and Boston; in summer, when the coastal waters are well warmed up, this difference noticeably weakens, and in some places disappears altogether.

From the New York parallel, the Gulf Stream runs from west to east. Southeast of Newfoundland, about 40° W. e. Gulf Stream ends. Here it, greatly expanding, breaks up into a fan of jets directed in the most diverse ways; the deflection due to the rotation of the Earth tells the jets most often the direction to the east and south. The area of ​​extinction and branching of the Gulf Stream was called the Gulf Stream Delta. The delta occupies such a large area that the air masses passing over this part of the ocean in winter, due to the vastness of the warm underlying surface, experience significant heating. The jet, going east of the Azores, approaches the Iberian Peninsula, and then turns south along the coasts of Europe and Africa, forming a weak and cold Canary Current, which merges with the Northern Trade Wind Current in the area of ​​the Cape Verde Islands.

This closes the ring of currents in that part of the Atlantic that lies north of the equator. The movement of water in this ring is clockwise, mainly along the periphery of the Azores anticyclone.

Within the North Atlantic ring of currents between 20 and 35° N. sh. and 40 and 75° W. There is an extremely peculiar, calm, unaffected by currents, region of the Sargasso Sea. The surface of the sea is covered with islands, tufts or long strips of floating algae, colored olive-green or yellowish at the tops, and brown at the base. The most common are Sargassum bacciferum, S. natans and S. vudgare; they are all pelagic, i.e., characteristic of the open sea and not associated with the ground. In the western part of the Sargasso Sea, there are other types of coastal algae. Algae sizes range from a few centimeters to several decimeters.

The accumulations of algae are very uneven, but they do not interfere with navigation anywhere. A ship can cross the Sargasso Sea and not meet a single seaweed; sometimes there are so many algae on the way that they occupy the entire visible horizon, and the ocean looks like a green meadow. In summer, when the winds blow from the south, the boundary of the Sargasso clusters reaches 40°N. sh., but further north it is not allowed by the cold waters of the Labrador Current, since at temperatures below 18 ° algae already die.

From the Gulf Stream delta, in addition to its branch, which eventually forms the Canary Current, another definite current departs, going northeast between 43 and 70 ° N. sh. This current is called the Atlantic. It serves, as it were, as a direct continuation of the Gulf Stream, but genetically represents a completely new phenomenon, because the impulse that excited the Gulf Stream has already dried up in the Gulf Stream delta and has ceased to operate. The Atlantic current is due to the western and southwestern winds prevailing in the region of its origin and propagation, giving it an average speed of about 25 km per day. Consequently, the continuity of the transition of the Gulf Stream to the Atlantic Current is purely external and is the result of a kind of relay race, due to which there was a “transfer” of water movement from the sewage current (Gulf Stream) to the drift current (Atlantic).

Having advanced beyond the 60th parallel, the Atlantic current begins to give branches to the right and to the left - the first under the influence of the Earth's rotation, the second under the influence of the relief of the seabed. Near the underwater ridge connecting Iceland with the Faroe Islands, a branch called the Irminger Current runs to the north-west; west of Iceland, it turns sharply to the southwestern tip of Greenland and enters through the Davis Strait into Baffin Bay in the form of a warm West Greenland current. From the 70th parallel, approximately on the 15th east meridian, two large jets depart: one to the north to the western shores of Svalbard - the Svalbard current, the other to the east along the northern tip. Scandinavian Peninsula - the North Cape current; its minimum temperature is +4°. Having entered the Barents Sea, the North Cape current, in turn, is divided into branches. South - under the name of the Murmansk Current - runs parallel to the Murmansk coast at a distance of 100-130 km from it; its temperature in August is about 7-8 °. The continuation of the Murmansk Current is the Novaya Zemlya Current, heading north along the western shores of the islands of the same name.

None of the listed warm currents goes into the Arctic Ocean along its surface further than the area of ​​Franz Josef Land "since here their waters, due to their greater density (salinity) compared to the density of the waters of the Arctic Ocean, sink under the sea surface and penetrate into The polar basin in the form of a warm deep current. The deep current, subject to the deflecting effect of the Earth's rotation, follows eastward, presses against the northern margin of the Eurasian shelf, but, due to the high density of its waters, does not extend to the shelf surface. The main stream runs along the continental shelf, but the warm Atlantic waters fill, in addition, the entire Polar Basin. In many of its deep places, it was observed that the upper layer of water with a thickness of 200-250 m, which has a negative temperature (up to -1°.7), is then replaced to a depth of 600-800 m by a layer of water with positive (up to +2°) temperatures, and below to the very bottom lies again a thickness of cold (up to -0 °.8) water. The warm "layer" is a warm current that has disappeared from the surface of the ocean.

The numerous currents of the Atlantic Ocean are very heterogeneous in their origin, although they are interconnected in the most intimate way. Both equatorial currents, which arose under the action of the trade winds, are drift; The Florida current as a result of the surge of water into the Gulf of Mexico is sewage; its continuation - the Gulf Stream - waste and drift; The Atlantic current is predominantly drifting; Guinean - compensatory and partly drifting, since the southwestern monsoon also takes part in its formation; Canarian - compensatory, compensating for the loss of water created off the coast of Africa by the North Trade Wind, etc.

On the example of the currents of the Atlantic Ocean, we also got acquainted with the factors that influence the direction of the currents: with the deflecting effect of the Earth's rotation and with the significance of the underwater relief and coast configuration (separation of the South Equatorial Current).

The Sargasso Sea is located in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean. The most interesting thing is that this sea is limited not by land, but by currents: in the west - by the Gulf Stream, in the north - by the North Atlantic Current, in the east - by the Canary Current, and in the south - by the North Atlantic Equatorial Current

Warm currents. The most famous warm current is the Gulf Stream. Each sea current is a "stove" on the planetary "weather kitchen" or a "refrigerator". The Gulf Stream is a unique “slab”. After all, the life of the whole European continent depends on its whims. It has a great influence on the climate, hydrological and biological conditions of the North Atlantic Ocean and the western part of the Arctic Ocean. In the south, the width of the Gulf Stream is 75 km, the thickness of the stream is m, and the speed reaches 300 cm / s. The surface water temperature is between 24 and 28 °C. In the area of ​​the Great Newfoundland Bank, the width of the Gulf Stream already reaches 200 km, and the speed decreases to 80 cm / s, and the water temperature is ° C. In the Arctic Ocean, the waters of the Gulf Stream form a warm intermediate layer after they sink north of Svalbard.

Importance of sea currents. Sea currents have a great influence on the climate. Warm currents during the cold period increase the temperature and give precipitation. For example, in Russia there is a non-freezing port of Murmansk, which is located beyond the Arctic Circle. The reason for this is the North Atlantic warm current. The cold current of the warm period lowers the temperature and does not give precipitation, for example, the Atacama Desert formed off the coast of South America, the reason for this is the cold Peruvian current.

Main sources used. 1. Atlantic Ocean / Ed. ed. V. G. Kort. S. S. Salnikov - L. Science, p. 2. Weil P. Popular oceanography \ Per. With. English – L Gidrometeoizdat