The Atlantic Ocean is a component of the World Ocean with a powerful flow air masses. In terms of territory occupied, it is in second place. The water area is located in different climatic zones. Circulating currents represent warm and cold currents Atlantic Ocean. I would like to talk about the latter separately. Namely, about the reasons for their occurrence and characteristics. So, let's start getting acquainted with the huge water element.
Atlantic currents
The Atlantic Ocean (this is clearly visible on the map) washes almost all continents. Naturally, this water area shapes the climatic features of these land areas. But why does this happen? Not only currents play a huge role in climate formation. Warm ones prevail over cold ones in the ocean. There are only 5 of the latter.
The currents of the Atlantic Ocean have a peculiarity: they move clockwise, forming a powerful circulation of water flow and replacing warm waters with cold ones. There are two such gyres in the water area: in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
What is the cold current of the Atlantic? As we said earlier, there are only 5 large ones:
- Labradorian.
- Canary.
- Benguela.
- Falkland.
- Current of the Western winds.
Current of the West Winds
In the Southern Hemisphere of the Atlantic Ocean, the current of the Western winds is particularly pronounced. The second name is Antarctic Circumpolar. It is considered the most powerful and largest flow of the entire World Ocean, passing through all the meridians of the Earth. It captures masses of water not only from the Atlantic Ocean, but also from the Indian and Pacific Oceans. The length of this current is 30 thousand square meters. km, width - up to 1 thousand km. The surface water temperature in this stream ranges from +2°C in the southern regions to +12°C in the northern regions.
This powerful Atlantic Ocean arose as a result of the prevailing Western winds here. They mainly dominate in the temperate zone in the area from 35° south. w. up to 65° south w. The winds blow in the direction from west to east, becoming stronger in winter and weaker in summer. They blow over areas of both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. But in the latter, their power is many times higher due to the fact that there is less land blocking the winds. The region in which the current operates is often isolated as a separate South ocean. The speed of this water flow in the surface layer reaches 9 m/s; in deep layers it decreases to 4 m/s. This current gives life to two more cold circulating masses: Benguela and Falklands.
Malvinas Current
Falkland (Malvinas) - cold current of the Atlantic Ocean. Branch of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. It separates from it near the extreme point of the island. On its way, it skirts the eastern shores of the South American continent and Patagonia, flows along the Falkland Islands, and ends in the Gulf of La Plata. Then it flows into the warm waters of the Brazilian Current. The confluence of two streams of circulating water is clearly visible from above, as well as if you study the Atlantic Ocean on a map. The fact is that the waters of the cold current are green, and the warm ones are blue.
The Falkland Stream has a low speed - up to 1 m/s. The water temperature during the current is from +4°C to +15°C. Compared to other circulating masses, it has lower water salinity - up to 33‰. This is due to the fact that icebergs begin to move downstream and gradually melt.
Benguela Current
Benguela is another branch of the cold current of this ocean, separating from the current of the Western winds. It begins at the Cape of Good Hope and, heading north, ends in the Namib Desert (in Africa). Further, turning west, it joins the South Trade Wind Current, thereby ending the circulation of circulating masses in the Southern Hemisphere. The water temperature of the Bengal Current is not too different from the water temperature in the ocean, decreasing only by 3-4°. This flow comes very close to the western edge of the African continent. The direction of the current is set by the westerly winds at the very beginning and the southeast trade winds later.
Labrador Current
The cold current of the Atlantic Ocean stands out - the Labrador Current. This stream of sea water begins its journey from the Baffin Sea, heading to about. Newfoundland. Passes between Canada and Greenland. Moving from north to south, at the end of the path it meets the warm Gulf Stream. Displacing its waters, it directs them to the east. It is known that this is exactly warm current provides in many ways favorable climate throughout Europe. We can say that it is Labrador that contributes to this.
The proximity to the Arctic Ocean and glaciers gives the current a low salinity of water, up to 32%. The Labrador Current causes numerous icebergs to float into the south Atlantic, complicating shipping in these regions. The infamous Titanic collided with an iceberg, which was carried out to the ocean by this very current.
Canary Current
The Canary is a cold current of the Atlantic Ocean. It has mixed type. At the beginning of its movement (off the northwestern coast of Africa and Canary Islands) the current carries cold waters. Further, moving west, the water temperature changes from cold to warm and ultimately flows into the North Trade Wind Current.
Sea currents. Sea currents are translational movements of masses of water in the seas and oceans, caused by: - the action of friction between water and air; or - pressure gradients arising in water; or - tidal forces of the Moon and the Sun. Sea currents differ: in origin, in the nature of variability, in location and in physical and chemical properties.
Together with the concept of Warm and Cold Sea Currents, we are looking for definitions of these words: Terborch - (Terborch) Gerard (1617-8..1) - Dutch painter. Genre compositions from the life of wealthy townspeople (“A Glass of Lemonade,” ca. 1665) are distinguished by calm contemplation, sophistication of silvery color, and masterly rendering of the texture of things. Terem - (from the Greek teremnon - dwelling) - in Dr. Rus''s upper residential tier is rich in mansions and chambers; There were also separate towers (above the gate, on a high basement). Teresina - (Teresina) - a city in the northeast of Brazil, the administrative center of the state. Piaui. 556 thousand inhabitants (1990). international Airport. Food, textile industry. University. Philological Academy. Historical Museum. Teptsov - Oleg Pavlovich (b. 1954) - Russian film director, screenwriter. He made his debut in 1984. His success brought him graduate work- ""Master Formator"" (1988). He also directed the feature film "The Initiated" (1989), as well as documentaries""Red... Tera... - (from the Greek teras - monster) - a prefix for the formation of names of multiple units, equal in size to 1012 original units; designated T. Example: 1 TN (teranyuton) = 1012 N. Terapiano - Yuri Konstantinovich (1892-1980) - Russian poet, literary critic. From the beginning 20s in exile (Constantinople, Paris). Religious and philosophical motives in lyrics (collections "Insomnia", 1935; "To the Wind", 1938; "Earthly Wandering", 1951;... Teresa - (Teresa) ( Mother Teresa) (in the world Agnes Gonja Bojaxhiu) (b. 1910), founder (1950, India) and abbess of the Catholic Order of Charity. various countries founded schools, medical centers, and shelters for the poor. Nobel Prize... Teratology - (from the Greek teras - genus teratos - freak and...logy), the science that studies deformities and malformations in plants, animals and humans. Terai is a strip of swampy foothill plains at the southern foot of the Himalayas, in India and Nepal. Height up to 900 m. Tropical rainforests (jungles) with tall grass. Partially drained and plowed. Teratology - (from the Greek teras - genus teratos - freak and...logy), the science that studies deformities and malformations in plants, animals and humans.
World ocean currents
Oceanic, or sea, currents are the forward movement of water masses in the oceans and seas, caused by by various forces. Although the most significant cause of currents is wind, they can also form due to unequal salinity of individual parts of the ocean or sea, differences in water levels, and uneven heating of different areas of water areas. In the depths of the ocean there are eddies created by bottom irregularities; their size often reaches 100-300 km in diameter, they capture layers of water hundreds of meters thick.
If the factors causing currents, are constant, then it is formed constant flow, and if they are episodic in nature, then a short-term, random course is formed. According to the predominant direction, currents are divided into meridional, carrying their waters to the north or south, and zonal, spreading latitudinally - approx. from geoglobus.ru. Currents in which the water temperature is higher than the average temperature for the same latitudes are called warm, lower ones are called cold, and currents that have the same temperature as the surrounding waters are called neutral.
Monsoon currents change direction from season to season, depending on how the offshore monsoon winds blow. Countercurrents move towards neighboring, more powerful and extended currents in the ocean.
The direction of currents in the World Ocean is influenced by the deflecting force caused by the rotation of the Earth - the Coriolis force. In the Northern Hemisphere, it deflects currents to the right, and in the Southern Hemisphere, to the left. The speed of currents on average does not exceed 10 m/s, and their depth extends to no more than 300 m. In the World Ocean, there are constantly thousands of large and small currents that circle the continents and merge into five giant rings. The system of currents in the World Ocean is called circulation and is associated primarily with the general circulation of the atmosphere. Ocean currents redistribute solar heat absorbed by masses of water. They transport warm water, heated by the sun's rays at the equator, to high latitudes, and cold water from the polar regions, thanks to currents, it flows to the south. Warm currents contribute to an increase in air temperature, and cold currents, on the contrary, reduce it. Territories washed by warm currents have a warm and humid climate, while those near which cold currents pass have a cold and dry climate.
The most powerful current in the World Ocean is the cold Western Wind Current, also called the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (from the Latin cirkum - around - approx. from geoglobus.ru). The reason for its formation is strong and stable westerly winds blowing from west to east over vast areas of the Southern Hemisphere from temperate latitudes to the coast of Antarctica. This current covers an area 2500 km wide, extends to a depth of more than 1 km and transports up to 200 million tons of water every second. There are no large land masses in the path of the Western Winds, and it connects in its circular flow three waters oceans - Pacific, Atlantic and Indian.
The Gulf Stream is one of the largest warm currents in the Northern Hemisphere. It passes through the Gulf Stream and carries the warm tropical waters of the Atlantic Ocean to high latitudes. This gigantic flow of warm water largely determines the climate of Europe, making it soft and warm. Every second, the Gulf Stream carries 75 million tons of water (for comparison: the Amazon, the deepest river in the world, carries 220 thousand tons of water). At a depth of about 1 km, a countercurrent is observed under the Gulf Stream.
UPWELLING
In many areas of the World Ocean, deep waters “float” to the surface of the sea. This phenomenon, called upwelling (from the English up - up and well - gushing - approx. from geoglobus.ru), occurs, for example, if the wind drives away warm surface waters, and colder ones rise in their place. The water temperature in upwelling areas is lower than the average at a given latitude, which creates favorable conditions for the development of plankton, and therefore other marine organisms- fish and sea animals that feed on it. Upwelling areas are the most important fishing areas of the World Ocean. They are located off the western shores of the continents: Peruvian-Chilean - near South America, Californian - in North America, Benguela - in South-West Africa, Canary - in West Africa.
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See what “Warm and cold currents” are in other dictionaries:
The temperature of the waters is respectively higher or lower than the temperature of the surrounding waters. Warm currents are directed from low to high latitudes (for example, the Gulf Stream), cold currents are directed from high to low latitudes (Labrador). Currents with the temperature of the surrounding waters... ... encyclopedic Dictionary
The temperature of the waters is respectively higher or lower than the temperature of the surrounding waters. Warm currents are directed from low to high latitudes (for example, the Gulf Stream), cold currents are directed from high to low latitudes (Labrador). Currents with the temperature of the surrounding waters are called. neutral...
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Ocean currents, forward movements of water masses in the seas and oceans. On the surface of the ocean they spread in a wide strip, capturing a layer of water of varying depth. At great depths and near the bottom there are significantly more... ...
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The direction of currents is influenced by the force of the Earth's rotation: in the Northern Hemisphere, currents move to the right, in the Southern Hemisphere, to the left.
A current is called warm if its temperature is warmer than the temperature of the surrounding waters; otherwise, the current is called cold.
Density currents are caused by pressure differences, which are caused by the uneven distribution of seawater density. Density currents are formed in the deep layers of seas and oceans. A striking example Density currents are the warm Gulf Stream.
Wind currents are formed under the influence of winds, as a result of the frictional forces of water and air, turbulent viscosity, pressure gradient, deflecting force of the Earth's rotation and some other factors. Wind currents are always surface currents: northern and southern trade winds, the current of the western winds, the inter-trade winds of the Pacific and Atlantic.
1) The Gulf Stream is a warm sea current in the Atlantic Ocean. In a broad sense, the Gulf Stream is a system of warm currents in the North Atlantic Ocean from Florida to the Scandinavian Peninsula, Spitsbergen, the Barents Sea and the North Sea. Arctic Ocean.
Thanks to the Gulf Stream, the countries of Europe adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean have a milder climate than other regions at the same latitude: masses of warm water heat the air above them, which is carried by westerly winds to Europe. Deviations of air temperature from the average latitude values in January reach 15-20 °C in Norway, and more than 11 °C in Murmansk.
2) The Peruvian Current is a cold surface current in the Pacific Ocean. It moves from south to north between 4° and 45° south latitude along the western coasts of Peru and Chile.
3) The Canary Current is a cold and, subsequently, moderately warm sea current in the northeastern part of the Atlantic Ocean. Directed from north to south along the Iberian Peninsula and North-West Africa as a branch of the North Atlantic Current.
4) The Labrador Current is a cold sea current in the Atlantic Ocean, flowing between the coast of Canada and Greenland and rushing south from the Baffin Sea to the Newfoundland Bank. There it meets the Gulf Stream.
5) The North Atlantic Current is a powerful warm ocean current that is the northeastern continuation of the Gulf Stream. Starts at the Great Bank of Newfoundland. West of Ireland the current divides into two parts. One branch (the Canary Current) goes south and the other goes north along the coast of northwestern Europe. The current is believed to have a significant influence on the climate in Europe.
6) The Cold California Current emerges from the North Pacific Current, moves along the coast of California from northwest to southeast, and merges in the south with the North Trade Wind Current.
7) Kuroshio, sometimes the Japan Current, is a warm current off the southern and eastern coasts of Japan in the Pacific Ocean.
8) The Kuril Current or Oyashio is a cold current in the northwest Pacific Ocean, which originates in the waters of the Arctic Ocean. In the south, near the Japanese Islands, it merges with Kuroshio. It flows along Kamchatka, the Kuril Islands and the Japanese islands.
9) North Pacific Current - a warm ocean current in the northern part Pacific Ocean. It is formed as a result of the merger of the Kuril Current and the Kuroshio Current. Moving from the Japanese islands to the shores of North America.
10) The Brazil Current is a warm current of the Atlantic Ocean off the eastern coast of South America, directed to the southwest.
P.S. To figure out where they are various currents, examine the set of cards. It will also be useful to read this article
The main reason for the appearance of currents is wind. Under the influence of stable currents, the most powerful cold current of the Western Winds arises, which forms a ring around Antarctica. The direction of currents is also influenced by the position and outlines of their banks. In depth, currents are formed due to different densities of water. More dense waters move towards less dense ones and create powerful currents at depth. The direction of sea currents is greatly influenced by the rotation of the Earth. Ocean currents influence nature and... They redistribute cold and heat between latitudes, as well as gases and dissolved nutrients. With the help of currents they move and populate new territories. The Canary Current is a cold current of the Atlantic Ocean that moves from north to south, skirting the Iberian Peninsula and Northwest Africa. The width of the Canary Current is 400-600 km. The Labrador Current is a cold sea current on the Atlantic Ocean. Mixes with warm waters The Gulf Stream each carries icebergs from Greenland to the trans-Atlantic crossing. The Bengal Current is a cold current in the Atlantic Ocean off the western coast of Africa. The Falkland Current is a cold current of the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of South America, a branch of the Western Winds Current. Carries a lot of icebergs. The Western Wind Current is the most powerful cold current in the World Ocean, also called the Antarctic Current. Crosses three oceans - Atlantic, Indian and Pacific. This current covers the Earth in a continuous ring, from which the cold Benguela, Western Australian and Peruvian currents branch. Its length exceeds 30 thousand km, the average width is about 1000 km. The Western Winds Current penetrates almost to the very bottom of the ocean to a depth of 4.5 km. The average current speed is 2 km/h. It is characterized by strong bends that arise under the influence of the contours of the continents and the bottom topography. The Antarctic Circumpolar Current is a powerful source of energy, it forms cyclones and anticyclones that shape the weather throughout the planet. Somali Current - cold current Indian Ocean, off the eastern coast of the Somali Peninsula in Africa. Caused by monsoon winds, changes its direction depending on. The California Current is a cold current in the Pacific Ocean. Passes along the coast of California. The Peruvian Current is a cold current in the Pacific Ocean that runs from south to north near west bank South American continent. East Greenland is a cold current of the Arctic Ocean passing off the eastern coast of Greenland. It carries ice from the Arctic basin and icebergs in the summer months all year round.
Sources:
- Sea currents
- Peruvian current cold or warm
Underwater currents are a variable phenomenon; they constantly change temperature, speed, force and direction. All this has a strong impact on the climate of the continents, and ultimately on human activity and development.
If earthly rivers flow along their channels due solely to the force of gravity, then with ocean currents the situation is much more complicated. The movement of ocean waters is caused by many reasons, some of which are even beyond the boundaries of the planet. The science of oceanography does not call every movement of water an ocean current; According to scientists, a sea (or ocean) current is only a forward movement of water. What causes its movement?
Wind
One of the reasons that causes water movement is wind. The flow resulting from its action is designated as drift. At the initial stage of research, scientists naturally assumed that the direction of such a current would coincide with the direction of the wind. But it turned out that this is only true for shallow water or a small body of water. At a significant distance from the coast, the rotation of the planet begins to influence the current, deflecting the movement of the water mass to the right (Northern Hemisphere) or to the left ( Southern Hemisphere). In this case, the surface layer, due to the force of friction, carries away the lower layer, the third one, etc. As a result, at a depth of many meters, the water layer begins to move in the opposite direction compared to surface movement. This will cause attenuation of the lowest layer, which oceanographers characterize as the depth of the drift current.
Density of water and its difference
The next reason for the movement of water is the difference in the density of the liquid and its temperature. A typical example is the “meeting” of warm salty water from the Atlantic with the less dense cold current of the Arctic Ocean. As a result, the water mass from the warm Atlantic falls down, flowing to North Pole and rushing towards North America. Or another example: the bottom current of dense salty water moves to the Black Sea from Marmara, and the surface current, on the contrary, from the Black Sea to Marmara.
Tidal currents
And another factor in the formation of currents is the attraction of such celestial bodies like the Moon, the Sun. As a result of their interaction with the Earth, gravitational forces form humps on the surface of the oceans, the height of which on the open water surface is no more than 2 m, and even 43 cm. Therefore, it is impossible to notice tides in the ocean; this phenomenon is clearly visible only on the coastal strip, here the height of the waves during the high tide can reach 17 m. The strength of the solar tides is approximately 2 times less than the lunar tides. However, it can reach maximum strength, when both the Sun and Moon are on the same line (new moon, full moon). And vice versa, the lunar and solar tides will cancel each other out, because... the depression will be overlapped by a hump (1st, last quarter of the earth's satellite).
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