AEROGRAPHER'S MATE 3 & 2 



all of the various branches of the western 

 North Atlantic Ocean that can be traced to the 

 region south of the Grand Banks off Newfoundland, 

 They are the FLORIDA CURRENT, GULF 

 STREAM, and NORTH ATLANTIC CURRENT. 



The FLORIDA CURRENT consists of the 

 northward moving water from the Florida 

 Straits to the vicinity of the coast of Cape 

 Hatteras, Much of the flow is derived from 

 the Caribbean Sea by way of the Yucatan 

 Channel; the water from the Yucatan Channel 

 takes the shortest route to the Florida Straits 

 rather than making a long sweep through the 

 Gulf of Mexico. The Florida Current is also 

 fed by the Antilles Current. The energy of the 

 Florida Current is believed to come from the 

 difference in the levels of the water in the 

 Gulf of Mexico and the water adjacent to the 

 Florida Atlantic coast. The difference in the 

 two levels is due to the prevailing trade winds 

 which result in a piling up of water in the gulf. 



The GULF STREAM is considered to be 

 the middle portion of the Gulf Stream system, 

 beginning near Cape Hatteras, where the current 

 leaves the continental slope. It continues north- 

 ward to the vicinity of the Grand Banks off 

 Newfoundland, flowing for a considerable distance 

 off the continental shelf. To the right of the 

 Gulf Stream is the Sargasso Sea portion of the 

 North Atlantic Ocean; to the left are the coastal 

 and slope waters. 



The NORTH ATLANTIC CURRENT begins 

 off the Grand Banks, where the Gulf Stream 

 begins to fork. It consists of northerly and 

 easterly currents terminating in subsidiary 

 currents. One of the major subsidiaries is the 

 IRMINGER CURRENT, which flows westward 

 off the southern coast of Iceland. Another is 

 the NORWEGIAN CURRENT. It flows beyond 

 the Norwegian Sea into the Polar Seas. Other 

 branches of the North Atlantic Current, turning 

 southward, end in huge eddies off the coast 

 of Europe and in the relatively cold CANARIES 

 CURRENT off the northwest coast of Africa. 



NORTH PACIFIC CURRENTS 



The currents of the North Pacific Ocean 

 are very similar to the currents of the North 

 Atlantic Ocean. Even so, there are some 

 distinct differences. These are due mainly to 

 the large amounts of subarctic water in the 

 North Pacific compared to the small amount 

 in the North Atlantic. 



North Equatorial Current 



The origin of the North Equatorial Current 

 of the North Pacific Ocean is in the vicinity 

 of the western coast of Central America where 

 waters of the EQUATORIAL COUNTERCURRENT 

 turn northward. As the North Equatorial Current 

 makes its way across the Pacific from the 

 east to the west, other waters are added, 

 including the CALIFORNIA CURRENT and waters 

 of the eastern North Pacific and of the western 

 North Pacific. Toward the western side of the 

 North Pacific most of the waters turn northward 

 along the eastern coast of the northern Philippines 

 and Formosa; some of the waters turn south- 

 ward and become a part of the Equatorial 

 Countercurrent. Consequently, the North Equa- 

 torial Current takes very warm water to the 

 eastern side of the island systems in the 

 western North Pacific. 



Cromwell Current 



The Cromwell is a narrow, swift current 

 centered on the Equator, extending from 2°N 

 to 2°S„ Its longitudinal dimensions are from 

 140°W to 92°W. At the Equator the easterly 

 flow appears at approximately 20 meters, 

 reaching a maximum speed of 2 to 2.5 knots 

 at 100 meters, and disappears at roughly 250 

 meters. 



Kuroshio System 



The Kuroshio system is quite similar to the 

 Gulf Stream system of the North Atlantic Ocean. 

 It has its origin in the North Equatorial Current 

 of the North Pacific Ocean, and it is situated 

 in the extreme western portion of the ocean. 

 It flows past Formosa and northeastward in 

 the deep ocean area between the China Sea and 

 the Ryukyu Islands. The system flows eastward 

 and northeastward along the coast of Japan. 



Divided into three branches, the Kuroshio 

 system consists of the KUROSHIO, the KURO- 

 SHIO EXTENSION, and the NORTH PACIFIC 

 CURRENT. 



The KUROSHIO corresponds to the Florida 

 Current of the Gulf Stream system. It is the 

 portion of the Kuroshio system that flows from 

 Formosa to about 35°N lat. The salinity of the 

 Kuroshio Current is less than that of the 

 Florida Current. Cold offshore winds have a 

 marked cooling effect on the Kuroshio, causing 

 an annual range in temperature of as much 

 as 9° C in some localities. 



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