OCEAN CURRENTS i6i 



the African coast, on to which it has been blown by the north- 

 east trade winds. 



Cold water is found along the North African coast from 

 Cape Verde to the Straits of Gibraltar, and in summer even 

 farther north. There are periodical variations, the cold-water 

 boundary being farther north in summer and farther south in 

 winter. Off the mouth of the Gambia River in February and 

 March, sea températures as low as i8'3° C. hâve been recorded, 

 in contrast to the river-water température of 24° C. In the 

 Bay of Arguin in August 17° has been recorded for surface 

 températures, which is 5° less than that of the Canary Isles and 

 Madeira. Off Mogador in November i6"i has been observed, 

 contrasted with 20-5 in the open sea 200 miles from land. 



The cold water has a dark grey to bottle-green colour, and, 

 since the atmosphère above is much warmer, is a fréquent 

 source of fog. This cool influence is felt along the Portuguese 

 coast as far as 40° N. Lat. 



The north-eastern branch of the Florida Current has no 

 spécial name, though it is precisely that current which is 

 popularly referred to in the British Isles as the " Gulf 

 Stream." A modem name for it is Atlantic Current. Since 

 it washes the western shores of the British Isles, Kriimmel has 

 called it the Irish Current. This current becomes separated 

 off from the Canaries Current, and forms the northerly branch 

 of the combined Florida and Antilles Currents. The pre- 

 vailing south-westerly Atlantic winds drive the warm-water 

 current to the north-east, into the English Channel, and 

 through the Straits of Dover into the North Sea. Another 

 branch runs around the west of the British Isles and reaches 

 Norway. The main part of the North Atlantic drift or Irish 

 Current is in the open océan, where it is met with off the 

 Faroes and on to Iceland. From Iceland it flows on to the west 

 and south-west as the Irminger Current, which, with the cold 

 East Greenland or Arctic Current, runs to Cape Farewell. 

 Ultimately it joins with the Labrador Current, runs south and 

 south-west, completing its cycle off the American coast, There 



