what ocean current is used to chart a course from britain to west africa

What are the currents in the Atlantic Ocean?

The following points highlight the ten main currents in the Atlantic Ocean. The currents are: 1. North Equatorial Current 2. South Equatorial Current 3. Counter-Equatorial Current 4. Gulf Stream 5. Canary Current 6. Labrador Current 7. Brazil Current 8. Falkland Current 9. South Atlantic Drift 10.

What is the direction of the warm current in the Atlantic?

This warm current is also pushed westward by the cold Canary current. On an average, the north equatorial warm current flows from east to west but this saline current is deflected northward when it crosses the mid-Atlantic Ridge near 15°N latitude. It again turns southward after crossing over the ridge.

What is the path of the north equatorial warm current?

This warm current is also pushed westward by the cold Canary current. On an average, the north equatorial warm current flows from east to west but this saline current is deflected northward when it crosses the mid-Atlantic Ridge near 15°N latitude.

Which ocean currents are included in the Labrador Current?

Labrador Current (Note : We have only included currents in the Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean and Southern Ocean.)

What ocean current is found on the west side of South Africa?

Benguela Current, oceanic current that is a branch of the West Wind Drift of the Southern Hemisphere. It flows northward in the South Atlantic Ocean along the west coast of southern Africa nearly to the Equator before merging with the westward-flowing Atlantic South Equatorial Current.

What is the ocean current in Africa?

Guinea Current, surface oceanic current of the Atlantic Ocean, the eastward continuation of the Atlantic Equatorial Countercurrent, off the western coast of Africa near the Gulf of Guinea.

What current passes through Africa?

The Agulhas Current /əˈɡʌləs/ is the western boundary current of the southwest Indian Ocean. It flows south along the east coast of Africa from 27°S to 40°S. It is narrow, swift and strong.

Which of the following ocean currents flow in the east coast of South Africa?

Agulhas CurrentAgulhas Current This warm water current runs south along the east coast of southern Africa from ~25°S to 40°S, and is the Western Boundary Current of the South Indian Ocean.

What are the ocean currents of South Africa?

South Africa's two prevailing currents — Benguela and Algulhas, which meet at the Cape of Good Hope — make it one of the most dynamic landscapes in the world.

Where is Benguela Current?

Flowing along the coast of South Africa, Namibia, and Angola, the Benguela Current is the eastern boundary of a large gyre in the South Atlantic Ocean. The current mixes water from the Atlantic and Indian Oceans as they meet off the capes of South Africa.

What is Benguela Nino?

High interannual sea surface temperature anomalies of more than 2°C were recorded along the coasts of Angola and Namibia between October 2019 and January 2020. This extreme coastal warm event that has been classified as a Benguela Niño, reached its peak amplitude in November 2019 in the Angola Benguela front region.

What are the 5 major ocean currents?

The five major circulation patterns formed by the currents on this map are the world's five major ocean gyres: North Atlantic, South Atlantic, Indian, North Pacific, and South Pacific.

Which ocean current brings warm water to the western coast of Africa?

1. South Atlantic Ocean surface current along west coast of Africa.

Where is the Labrador Current located?

The Labrador Current is a cold current in the North Atlantic Ocean which flows from the Arctic Ocean south along the coast of Labrador and passes around Newfoundland, continuing south along the east coast of Canada near Nova Scotia. Near Nova Scotia, this cold water current meets the warm northward moving Gulf Stream.

Which is the warm ocean current flowing along the eastern coast of South Africa?

Mozambique Current, relatively warm surface current of the western Indian Ocean. The southeast trade winds move the Indian South Equatorial Current toward the east coast of Africa, off which, because of the Earth's rotation, it is directed south to follow the outline of the mainland and its continental shelf.

What is the cold Benguela Current?

The Benguela Current is the eastern boundary current of the South Atlantic subtropical gyre. The Benguela Current flows through a strong, biologically productive upwelling region, and advects cool waters to the tropics. This water is warmed and is one of the source waters for the South Equatorial Current.

Which current flows from the western coast of Africa to the eastern coast of South America?

South Equatorial Current (Warm): South equatorial current flows from the western coast of Africa to the eastern coast of South America between the equator and 20° S latitude. This current is more constant, stronger and of greater extent than the north equatorial current.

Which ocean current is anticyclonic?

Introduction: There is an anticyclonic circula­tion of ocean currents comprising the north equatorial current, the Gulf Stream and the Canary current in the North Atlantic Ocean. The water confined in this gyral is calm and motionless.

What is the Florida warm current?

Thus, the Florida warm current contains most of the characteristics of the equatorial water mass. The average temperature of water at the surface is 75 0 F (24 0 C) while the salinity is 36 0 / 00. The temperature never falls below 43.7 0 F (6.5 0 C) at 39 0 N latitude.

What is the North Equatorial Current?

1. North Equatorial Current (Warm): Normally, the north equatorial current is formed between the equator and 10° N latitude. This current is generated because of upwelling of cold water near the west coast of Africa. This warm current is also pushed westward by the cold Canary current.

Why is the counter equatorial current less developed in the west?

This currents is less developed in the west due to stress of trade winds.

What is the South Atlantic drift?

South Atlantic Drift (Cold): The eastward continuation of the Brazil current is called South Atlantic Drift. This current is originated because of the deflection of the Brazil warm current eastward at 40° S latitude due to the deflective force of the rotation of the earth.

What is the temperature of water near the coast called?

The temperature of water near the coast ranges between 4° and 10°C. This zone of cold water between the coast and the Gulf Stream is called cold wall. The existence of this cold wall of cold water near the eastern coast of the USA is attributed to many factors.

How are surface ocean currents fueled?

Surface currents. Large-scale surface ocean currents are driven by global wind systems that are fueled by energy from the sun. These currents transfer heat from the tropics to the polar regions, influencing local and global climate.

How can ocean currents be used in education?

Educators can use ocean currents to help students learn and appreciate the interaction of Earth's systems and how scientists study these processes with drifting buoys, sound monitors, and other methods. The lesson plans, labs, and other resources in this collection can help students understand how distant abiotic factors, ...

How do ocean currents affect the food web?

Ocean currents are an important abiotic factor that significantly influences food webs and reproduction of marine organisms and the marine ecosystems that they inhabit. Many species with limited mobility are dependent on this "liquid wind" to bring food and nutrients to them and to distribute larvae and reproductive cells. Even fish and mammals living in the ocean may have their destinations and food supply affected by currents.

What are the abiotic features of the ocean?

tides and currents. Ocean water is on the move, affecting your climate, your local ecosystem, and the seafood that you eat. Ocean currents, abiotic features of the environment, are continuous and directed movements of ocean water. These currents are on the ocean’s surface and in its depths, flowing both locally and globally.

What causes ocean currents?

Deep ocean currents. Differences in water density, resulting from the variability of water temperature ( thermo) and salinity ( haline ), also cause ocean currents. This process is known as thermohaline circulation. In cold regions, such as the North Atlantic Ocean, ocean water loses heat to the atmosphere and becomes cold and dense.

What are the effects of ocean currents on fish?

Even fish and mammals living in the ocean may have their destinations and food supply affected by currents. Upwelling currents bring cold nutrient-rich waters from the ocean bottom to the surface, supporting many of the most important fisheries and ecosystems in the world.

How does the Earth's rotation affect ocean currents?

Coastal and sea floor features influence their location, direction, and speed. Earth’s rotation results in the Coriolis effect which also influences ocean currents. Similar to a person trying to walk in a straight line across a spinning merry-go-round, winds and ocean waters get deflected from a straight line path as they travel across ...

How do ocean currents form?

Ocean currents form as a result of the unequal heating of the oceans – warm water predominates in the tropics where solar heating is more intense , while the water nearer to poles is very cold, and, of course vast amounts of water in the polar areas remains frozen. The difference in water temperatures leads to convection currents moving colder water ...

How does ocean current affect ships?

Currents affect ships during their voyages. A ship steaming against a current will need to use more fuel to maintain a required speed. A ship steaming with a current will save fuel and can proceed at an increased speed. A warm current may keep ports ice-free in winter.

How many nautical miles off the coast of Port Elizabeth?

Because of the strength of the main current, ships steaming from Durban towards Port Elizabeth will keep about 12 nautical miles off the coast to benefit from the fast-flowing current and to avoid the counter currents.

What causes the West Wind drift in the Southern Ocean?

The West Wind Drift in the Southern Ocean is generated by the constantly strong westerly winds in this area, a movement that is also influenced by the rotation of the earth. The general direction of currents is shown on the map above.

What causes a convection current to move colder water towards the equator?

The difference in water temperatures leads to convection currents moving colder water moving towards the Equator, and warmer water moving towards the poles. The rotation of the earth causes a general anti-clockwise circulatory pattern in the southern hemisphere, and a general clockwise circulatory pattern in the northern hemisphere.

Does the North Atlantic drift freeze?

A warm current may keep ports ice-free in winter. This is particularly true of the North Atlantic Drift that introduces “warm” water to the north-west European coast and ports as far north as northern Russia (e.g. Murmansk) or northern Norway (e.g. Tromso) do not freeze.