what are warm currents and cold currents?????
Answers
Warm Currents
Warm ocean currents flow away from the equatorial region on the western
side of ocean basins. The Gulf Stream in the North Atlantic and the
Kuroshio Current in the North Pacific are examples of warm currents. Of all
the warm currents, the Gulf Stream has been studied most extensively.
A narrow, intense flow of warm water, the Gulf Stream begins in the
Caribbean Sea and follows the east coast of the United States northward
around Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. There the current veers
northeastward across the Atlantic Ocean, where it is called the North
Atlantic Drift. The current carries warm water to Iceland and the British
Isles. As a result, these places have warmer climates than they would
otherwise. (Hence there are palm trees along the coast of Ireland.)
The Gulf Stream forms the western and northern boundary of the
Sargasso Sea, which is located in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean.
An area of warm water and light winds, the Sargasso Sea has relatively calm seas. Great amounts of floating brown seaweed called sargassum are typically found on the surface water there. Similar conditions exist in other
oceans, but nowhere are they as well developed as in the North Atlantic.
Cold Currents
Cold currents flow toward the equator on the eastern side of ocean basins.
Examples of cold ocean currents include the Canary Current in the North
Atlantic, the California Current in the North Pacific, and the Benguela
Current in the South Atlantic.
Cold currents can also flow out of far northern regions. The Labrador
Current flows out of Baffin Bay and past Labrador, the coastal part of the
Canadian province of Newfoundland. The current carries icebergs from
Baffin Bay, creating a hazard for ships in the North Atlantic. The Labrador
Current meets the Gulf Stream off the coast of Newfoundland. When warm, moist air from the Gulf Stream blows over the cold Labrador Current, water vapor condenses. This results in some of the thickest fogs in the world.
Two other important cold currents originate in northern regions. The East Greenland Current flows into the North Atlantic through the Strait of Denmark. The Oyashio Current flows through the Bering Strait between Siberia and Alaska and into the North Pacific.
Warm ocean currents flows away from the equatorial region on the western side of the ocean basin . the gulf stream in the north atlantic and the kuroshio current in the north pacific are the E.g. of warm current