x The Hydrosphere 181 



about the latitude of Cape Verde, and while part of it is 

 driven by the north-east trade winds into the Caribbean 

 Sea, most of the current sweeps north-westward (as ex- 

 plained in Ferrel's Law), outside the West Indies, toward the 

 coast of North America. The South Equatorial Current, 

 originating in the Benguela Current of cool water, flows 

 northward at first. In the latitude of the Congo it sweeps 

 westward across the ocean and divides into two branches 

 off the wedge-shaped front of South America. One branch 

 (as explained by Ferrel's Law for the southern hemi- 

 sphere) turns southward along the coast, and is known as 

 the Brazil Current ; and getting within reach of the brave 

 west winds it is drifted east again to rejoin the Benguela 

 Current. The other branch continues on its westerly 

 direction and is driven northward by the south-east trades, 

 most of it flowing into the Caribbean Sea. Along the 

 north-east coast of South America there is a heaping up of 

 water, produced by the convergence of the two great equa- 

 torial currents, and this does not appear to be fully com- 

 pensated for by vertical circulation. Some of the banked- 

 up water escapes eastward on the surface along the rainy 

 zone of the equatorial calms, forming a narrow counter- 

 current between the west-flowing Nor.th and South Equa- 

 torials. Near the coast of Africa this Counter Equatorial 

 Current^ consisting of extremely hot water of slight salinity, 

 and known as the Guinea Current, sweeps along the north 

 shore of the Gulf of Guinea, and is deflected southward 

 by the coast to rejoin the South Equatorial. 6 



244. The Gulf Stream. The level of the Caribbean 

 Sea and Gulf of Mexico is raised considerably by the hot 

 surface water continually pouring in from the south-east. 

 Off the mouth of the Mississippi it is about 3 feet higher 

 than off New York an effect which may, however, be due 

 in part to the attraction of the land ( 252). The Gulf 

 Stream forced out of this reservoir through the Strait of 

 Florida is a river of salt and very warm water (surface 

 temperature 81), 50 miles wide, 350 fathoms deep, and 

 flowing at the rate of 5 miles an hour. On emerging from 

 the Strait it is swept to the north close along the American 



