x The Hydrosphere 183 



from the Siberian rivers, and as the East Greenland 

 Current flows more rapidly, under the influence of prevail- 

 ing north-easterly winds, along the east shore of Green- 

 land, causing that side of the great ice-covered peninsula 

 to be much colder and less accessible than the western. 

 The Labrador Current is a more important cold stream, 

 driven also by the northerly winds induced by the northern 

 low-pressure region of the atmosphere ( 194, 197), and 

 flowing southward along the west side of Baffin Bay, 

 past the coasts of Labrador and Newfoundland. It 

 meets the northern edge of the Gulf Stream off the Grand 

 Banks of Newfoundland. Many geologists believe that 

 this encounter led to the formation of the Banks, for 

 the icebergs carried by the Labrador Current are melted 

 on entering the Gulf Stream, and drop the stones and 

 mud which were frozen up in them. The mingling of 

 cold and warm currents undoubtedly produces the fogs 

 for which this region is famous. Being comparatively 

 fresh, the density of the cold Labrador Current is not 

 greater than that of the Gulf Stream, by which it appears 

 to be deflected along the coast of North America, where it 

 is known as the Cold Wall. It disappears from the surface 

 off Cape Hatteras, having partly mixed with the Gulf Stream 

 and in part sunk under the less dense because warmer 

 water. Recent observations point to the possibility that 

 the cold current cuts horizontally through the Gulf Stream, 

 like a paper-cutter through the leaves of a book, and mixes 

 with the mass of Atlantic water. The limits reached by 

 icebergs drifted from the north and south are shown on 

 Plate XVIII., illustrating how the warm currents off 

 Northern Europe keep the sea clear from this danger. 

 The cool water of the Benguela Current is partly supplied 

 by upwelling from beneath, but the steady flow of the 

 current is maintained by cold streams sweeping north- 

 eastward from the Antarctic regions. 



246. Circulation of the Atlantic. The Gulf Stream 

 is often spoken of as if it were a phenomenon by itself ; but 

 it is really only part of a great system of surface circulation, 

 the water whirling as if stirred in the direction of the hands 



