Chapter 16 — FUNDAMENTALS OF OCEANOGRAPHY 



The KUROSHIO EXTENSION is the contin- 

 uation of the warm Kuroshio Current, It divides 

 into two branches at 35"N lat. The major portion 

 flows eastward as a well-defined current to 

 about 160°E long. The other portion flows 

 northeastward to about 40°N lat., where it turns 

 eastward. 



The NORTH PACIFIC CURRENT is a pro- 

 longation of the Kuroshio Extension. Since the 

 current is not well defined, it is difficult to 

 trace its progress across the Pacific Ocean. 

 It seems that it definitely extends from about 

 160°E long, to about 150°W long. Much of the 

 waters turn southward before reaching 150°W 

 long, and form many of the major whirls that 

 are rather pronounced in that portion of the 

 North Pacific. Temperature and salinity are 

 the two best clues as to the location of the 

 current. It is believed that some of the waters 

 extend east of the Hawaiian Islands before 

 turning south between the island chain and 

 western North America. 



SOUTH ATLANTIC CURRENTS 



The prevailing anticyclonic wind circulation 

 of the Southern Hemisphere gives to the South 

 Atlantic Ocean its characteristic oceanic cir- 

 culation. 



The SOUTH EQUATORIAL CURRENT domi- 

 nates the northern portion of the South Atlantic. 

 It flows from east to west just south of the 

 EQUATORIAL COUNTERCURRENT. On reaching 

 the eastern shores of South America, one 

 branch turns northward along the northern coast 

 of South America, merging with the waters of 

 the North Equatorial Current to become a part 

 of the Gulf Stream system of the North Atlantic; 

 the other branch flows southward as the 

 BRAZILIAN CURRENT, brining waters of high 

 temperature and high salinity to the coasts 

 of Brazil and Uruguay. 



One branch of the West Wind Drift Current 

 turns northward along the coast of Argentina 

 and is known as the FALKLAND CURRENT. It 

 brings to that area waters of low temperature 

 and low salinity. Where the Falkland Current 

 and the Brazilian Current meet at about 40° 

 south latitude, the two currents turn eastward, 

 developing great whirls in the middle section 

 of the South Atlantic. 



On the African side of the South Atlantic 

 Ocean, there is one dominant current. It is 



the BENGUELA CURRENT. The Benguela 

 Current is another northward flow of waters 

 from the West Wind Drift Current. It brings 

 low clouds and fog along the immediage south- 

 western coast. In the region of the Equator 

 the Equatorial Countercurrent flows eastward to 

 the coast as the GUINEA CURRENT, favoring 

 warm, moist air and heavy rainfall. 



SOUTH PACIFIC CURRENTS 



The currents of the South Pacific Ocean 

 show the effects of the anticyclonic circulation 

 of the atmosphere. The northern portion of 

 the South Pacific is dominated by the SOUTH 

 EQUATORIAL CURRENT which flows from east 

 to west just south of the EQUATORIAL COUNTER- 

 CURRENT. On reaching the western end of the 

 ocean the South Equatorial Current turns 

 southward as the EAST AUSTRALIA CURRENT 

 and bathes the northern and eastern shores of 

 Australia with warm waters. Turning eastward 

 as it flows past the eastern coast of Australia, 

 it brings warm waters to the northern and western 

 coasts of New Zealand. As a result, the eastern 

 coast of Australia and the western coast of 

 New Zealand are warmer than the opposite 

 coasts. 



The southern portion of the South Pacific 

 is dominated by the WEST WIND DRIFT CUR- 

 RENT. This current completely encircles the 

 Southern Hemisphere and has a marked effect 

 on the equatorward-moving currents. 



The PERU CURRENT, which is a branch 

 of the West Wind Drift Current, dominates 

 the coastal waters of western South America. 

 The waters are relatively cold. There is con- 

 siderable upwelling of the cold subsurface waters 

 off the coasts of Chile and Peru due to the 

 prevailing southerly winds. Coastal fogs and 

 low clouds are characteristic of the area. 



SEAS ADJACENT TO THE 

 NORTH ATLANTIC 



There are several currents of seas adjacent 

 to the North Atlantic Ocean that must be 

 mentioned in order to complete the picture 

 of oceanic circulation in that region. 



Mediterranean Sea 



There is a strong current in the Strait 

 of Gilbraltar, where the waters of the North 



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