1 68 A TEXTBOOK OF OCEANOGRAPHY 



month to month and year to year. In the early months of the 

 year the whole of the northern portion of the Grand Bank is 

 covered with icebergs of varying size, some so large that they 

 are undoubtedly aground. There is a relatively deep channel 

 on the south-east side of Newfoundland, which separates the 

 Grand Bank from St. Pierre Bank and Green Bank. The 

 depths between the banks are over 100 and for the most part 

 over 150 metres. Through this channel it is easy for a branch 

 of the Labrador Current, with its icebergs, to pass. The 

 Labrador Current also flows east and north-east over the 

 Flemish ridge (east of the Grand Bank), and in some years 

 this cold and light water extends to 40 W. Long. In this 

 way icebergs drift into the Irish Current extension of the so- 

 called Gulf Stream drift. Some of the icebergs make enormous 

 journeys before they finally disappear ; for instance, they have 

 been observed in 51 N., 11 W. ; 51 N., 19 W. ; 48 N., 

 15 W.; 53 N., 22 W.; and on one occasion just west of 

 Mull Island in 56-5 N., 6'5 W. 



The transitional zone between the Labrador Current and 

 the Gulf Stream is shown by the isothermal lines (Fig. 31). 

 Tongues of cold water project into the latter, notably due 

 south of the Grand Bank, one between the Grand Bank and 

 the Flemish ridge, and two south-east of the Grand Bank. 



3. THE SOUTH ATLANTIC CURRENTS. (i) The Brazil 

 Current. The main drift of the Brazil Current as a branch 

 of the South Equatorial Current has already been mentioned. 

 It flows along the Brazil coast. 



According to the older German charts, the Brazil Current 

 splits up at 30 S. Lat. into two main branches. One flows 

 over the coastal banks of Patagonia, and then farther south to 

 Cape Horn. The second branch is deflected to the east, and 

 north of 40 S. Lat. is known as the Southern Connecting 

 Current, running across the ocean east and then north- 

 east. The English current charts show the Brazil Current as 

 disappearing in 30 to 35 S. Lat., and over the Patagonian 

 banks a current flowing from the Pacific Ocean round Cape 



