The North Atlantic Current (NAC), also known as North Atlantic Drift and North Atlantic Sea Movement, is a powerful warm western boundary current within the Atlantic Ocean that extends the Gulf Stream northeastward.[1]
Cap]] (47°N, 45°W). Approaching the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, it then turns eastward and becomes much broader and more diffuse. It then splits into ahe warmer branch turns southward, most of the subtropical component of the Gulf Stream is diverted southward, and as a consequence, the North Atlantic is mostly supplied by subpolar waters, including a contribution from the Labrador Current recirculated into the NAC at 45°N.[2]
West of Continental Europe, it splits into two major branches. One branch goes southeast, becoming the Canary Current as it passes northwest Africa and turns southwest. The other major branch continues north along the coast of Northwestern Europe. Other branches include the Irminger Current and the Norwegian Current. Driven by the global thermohaline circulation, the North Atlantic Current is part of the wind-driven Gulf Stream, which goes further east and north from the North American coast across the Atlantic and into the Arctic Ocean.
The North Atlantic Current, together with the Gulf Stream, have a long-lived reputation for having a considerable warming influence on European climate. However, the principal cause for differences in winter climate between North America and Europe seems to be winds rather than ocean currents (although the currents do exert influence at very high latitudes by preventing the formation of sea ice).[3]
See also
References
- Notes
- ^ Rossby 1996, Abstract
- ^ Lozier, Owens & Curry 1995, Circulation: Figs 10 and 11, pp. 20–22
- ^ Seager et al. 2002, Abstract
- Sources
- Lozier, M. S.; Owens, W. B.; Curry, R. G. (1995). "The climatology of the North Atlantic" (PDF). Progress in Oceanography. 36 (1): 1–44. Bibcode:1995PrOce..36....1L. doi:10.1016/0079-6611(95)00013-5. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
{{cite journal}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - Rossby, T. (1996). "The North Atlantic Current and surrounding waters: At the crossroads" (PDF). Reviews of Geophysics. 34 (4): 463–481. Bibcode:1996RvGeo..34..463R. doi:10.1029/96RG02214. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
{{cite journal}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - Seager, R.; Battisti, D. S.; Yin, J.; Gordon, N.; Naik, N.; Clement, A. C.; Cane, M. A. (2002). "Is the Gulf Stream responsible for Europe's mild winters?" (PDF). Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society. 128 (586): 2563–2586. Bibcode:2002QJRMS.128.2563S. doi:10.1256/qj.01.128. Retrieved 25 October 2010.
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External links
- The North Atlantic Current. Elizabeth Rowe, Arthur J. Mariano, Edward H. Ryan, The Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies
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