What Is the Gulf Stream?

The Gulf Stream is also called Gulf Stream. It is the most powerful and far-reaching warm stream in the world. After converging in the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico from the northern equatorial current and the Guyana warm current, it flows out through the Florida Strait, called the Florida warm current. It merges with the Antilles warm current from the southeast and is called the Gulf of Mexico warm current. It flows north along the North American continental shelf and flows northeast near Cape Hatteras on the east coast of the United States. Under the influence of prevailing westerly winds, it moved eastward and was renamed the North Atlantic Warm Current near 40 ° west longitude.

Gulfstream is not ordinary

Originating in the Gulf of Mexico, passing the Florida Strait along the eastern seas of the United States and Canada

1. The equatorial current caused by the trade wind accumulates seawater on the west side of the Atlantic Ocean, which causes the water level in the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico to rise;

2. Large rivers flowing into the Gulf of Mexico (such as the Mississippi River) discharge a large amount of river water, causing water levels to rise;

3. It is caused by the density difference between huge water masses in high latitudes and low latitudes. ^[2]

The Gulf Stream transports warm tropical and southern hemisphere ocean surface waters to high latitudes, cooling, sinking and returning southward in the cold North Atlantic. This circulation process is considered to have an important impact on many aspects of the Earth's climate system, especially for heating in Northwestern Europe and is known as the world's most important natural heating system. ^[2]