FOREWORD 
This report is intended to help meet an ever-increasing 
need for the identification of the major currents of the 
North and South Atlantic Oceans and a comprehensive summary 
of their principal characteristics. The information given 
herein is based on published reports and directly measured 
data, as well as considerable unpublished data, of which a 
large amount has recently been obtained. Much of these data 
have been analyzed specifically for this report. 
This is the first of a planned series of four reports, 
the other three to include descriptions of the currents of 
the Pacific and Indian Oceans and the polar regions. 
Captain, U. S. Navy 
Commander 
Naval Oceanographic Office 
