Gulf Stream Facts: Know Details About This Strong Ocean Current
- History Of Gulf Stream. The Gulf Stream was discovered almost 500 years ago by the Spanish explorer Juan Ponce De León. ...
- Cause Of Gulf Stream. The Gulf Stream is caused by an oceanic gyre, which is a huge system of circular currents and intense winds.
- Impact On Weather And Climate. ...
- Possible Renewable Power Source. ...
- FAQs. ...
How did Benjamin Franklin discover the Gulf Stream?
Franklin made eight voyages across the Atlantic Ocean (or, as it was known then, the Western Ocean) between the Colonies and Europe. He wondered why journeys eastward were faster than return trips. His curiosity led him to be the first to map the Gulf Stream.
When was Gulf Stream founded?
Gulfstream has produced more than 2,000 aircraft since 1958. Gulfstream's current range consists of the G280, G550, G500/G600, and G650/G650ER/G700....Gulfstream Aerospace.TypeSubsidiaryFounded1958HeadquartersSavannah, Georgia, United StatesArea servedWorldwideKey peopleMark Burns (President)5 more rows
Who helped map the Gulf Stream?
Benjamin FranklinBenjamin Franklin and his cousin, Timothy Folger, are credited with naming and mapping the Gulf Stream for the first time—the warm, strong ocean current that pushes northeast from the Gulf of Mexico, up the Atlantic coast, towards Europe.
How did Gulf Stream get its name?
Franklin is generally given credit for correctly explaining the stream's cause. Franklin even suggested the name "Gulf Stream," even though it is a huge, circular motion in the Atlantic Ocean and has little to do with the Gulf of Mexico.
Who discovered the Gulf Stream in 1517?
Although first observed in 1513 by Ponce de Leon, the Gulf Stream was not charted until the early 1770s by Benjamin Franklin.
How did Ponce de Leon discover the Gulf Stream?
Franklin asked Folger, a Nantucket whaling captain, for an answer. Folger explained that American ships routinely crossed the then-unnamed Gulf Stream — identifying it by whale behavior, water temperature, the speed of bubbles on its surface, and changes in water color — while the English ran against it.
Who discovered Indian Ocean?
navigator Vasco da GamaThe Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama, sailing around Africa in 1497, signed on an Arabian pilot at Malindi before he crossed the Indian Ocean to reach the western shores of India. The Dutch, English, and French followed the Portuguese to the Indian Ocean.
Which famous Nantucket helped Benjamin Franklin map the Gulf Stream?
Timothy FolgerIn October 1768 Franklin discussed this problem with his cousin Timothy Folger, a Nantucket ship captain with an intimate knowledge of the Gulf Stream then in London. Folger sketched the Stream on a chart and added written direction on how to avoid it when sailing from England to New England.
Who discovered and named the Pacific Ocean?
Explorer Ferdinand MagellanExplorer Ferdinand Magellan named the Pacific Ocean in the 16th Century. Covering approximately 59 million square miles and containing more than half of the free water on Earth, the Pacific is by far the largest of the world's ocean basins.
Did Columbus use the Gulf Stream?
Christopher Columbus followed this route on his voyages, but he attributed the favorable eastward set of the Gulf Stream to the effect of tides, rather than recognizing it as part of the continuous circle of current in the North Atlantic.
How old is the Gulf Stream?
And using very old calcite shells, the group comes up with an estimate for the strength of the Gulf Stream 20,000 years ago. The Gulf Stream is the first leg in the 'Atlantic overturning circulation'. The warm stream cools off on its way from the Caribbean Sea to the Arctic, which makes the waters denser.
Where does Gulf Stream originate?
tip of FloridaOriginating at the tip of Florida, the Gulf Stream is a warm and swift Atlantic Ocean current that follows the eastern coastline of the US and Canada before crossing the Atlantic Ocean towards Europe.
When was the Gulf Stream discovered?
European discovery of the Gulf Stream dates to the 1512 expedition of Juan Ponce de León, after which it became widely used by Spanish ships sailing from the Caribbean to Spain. A summary of Ponce de León's voyage log on April 22, 1513, noted, "A current such that, although they had great wind, they could not proceed forwards, but backwards and it seems that they were proceeding well; at the end it was known that the current was more powerful than the wind."
Where does the Gulf Stream originate?
The Gulf Stream, together with its northern extension the North Atlantic Drift, is a warm and swift Atlantic ocean current that originates in the Gulf of Mexico and stretches to the tip of Florida, and follows the eastern coastlines of the United States and Newfoundland before crossing the Atlantic Ocean as the North Atlantic Current.
How many sverdrups does the Gulf Stream have?
As it passes south of Newfoundland, this rate increases to 150 sverdrups. The volume of the Gulf Stream dwarfs all rivers that empty into the Atlantic combined, which total 0.6 sverdrups. It is weaker, however, than the Antarctic Circumpolar Current.
What causes the Gulf Stream to be stronger than the Gulf Stream?
This overall process, known as western intensification, causes currents on the western boundary of an ocean basin, such as the Gulf Stream, to be stronger than those on the eastern boundary. As a consequence, the resulting Gulf Stream is a strong ocean current.
How fast is the current?
The current velocity is fastest near the surface, with the maximum speed typically about 2.5 metres per second (5.6 mph). As it travels north, the warm water transported by the Gulf Stream undergoes evaporative cooling.
What is the Gulf Stream?
The Gulf Stream influences the climate of the east coast of North America from Florida to Newfoundland, and the west coast of Europe. Although there has been recent debate, there is consensus that the climate of Western Europe and Northern Europe is warmer than other areas of similar latitude because of the North Atlantic Current.
Why is the Gulf Stream important to Massachusetts?
Also, the Gulf Stream's proximity to Nantucket, Massachusetts adds to its biodiversity, because it is the northern limit for southern varieties of plant life, and the southern limit for northern plant species, Nantucket being warmer during winter than the mainland . The North Atlantic Current of the Gulf Stream, along with similar warm air currents, ...
Overview
The Gulf Stream, together with its northern extension the North Atlantic Drift, is a warm and swift Atlantic ocean current that originates in the Gulf of Mexico and stretches to the tip of Florida and follows the eastern coastlines of the United States and Newfoundland before crossing the Atlantic Ocean as the North Atlantic Current. The process of western intensification causes the Gulf Strea…
History
European discovery of the Gulf Stream dates to the 1512 expedition of Juan Ponce de León, after which it became widely used by Spanish ships sailing from the Caribbean to Spain. A summary of Ponce de León's voyage log on April 22, 1513, noted, "A current such that, although they had great wind, they could not proceed forwards, but backwards and it seems that they were proceeding well…
Properties
The Gulf Stream proper is a western-intensified current, driven largely by wind stress. The North Atlantic Drift, in contrast, is largely driven by thermohaline circulation. In 1958, oceanographer Henry Stommel noted that "very little water from the Gulf of Mexico is actually in the stream". By carrying warm water northeast across the Atlantic, it makes Western Europe and especially Northern Europe warmer and milder than it otherwise would be.
Formation and behaviour
A river of sea water, called the Atlantic North Equatorial Current, flows westwards off the coast of Central Africa. When this current interacts with the northeastern coast of South America, the current forks into two branches. One passes into the Caribbean Sea, while a second, the Antilles Current, flows north and east of the West Indies. These two branches rejoin north of the Straits of Fl…
Localized effects
The Gulf Stream is influential on the climate of the Florida peninsula. The portion off the Florida coast, referred to as the Florida Current, maintains an average water temperature of at least 24 °C (75 °F) during the winter. East winds moving over this warm water move warm air from over the Gulf Stream inland, helping to keep temperatures milder across the state than elsewhere across the Southeastern United States during the winter. Also, the Gulf Stream's proximity to Nantucket,
Gulf Stream Collapse
The possibility of a Gulf Stream collapse has been covered by many news publications. The IPCC Sixth Assessment Report addressed this issue specifically, and found that based on model projections and theoretical understanding, the Gulf Stream will not shut down in a warming climate. While the Gulf Stream is expected to slow down as the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) weakens, it will not collapse even if the AMOC were to collapse. Nevertheles…
Effect on cyclone formation
The warm water and temperature contrast along the edge of the Gulf Stream often increase the intensity of cyclones, tropical or otherwise. Tropical cyclone generation normally requires water temperatures in excess of 26.5 °C (79.7 °F). Tropical cyclone formation is common over the Gulf Stream, especially in the month of July. Storms travel westwards through the Caribbean and then eithe…
Gulf Stream Rings
The Gulf Stream periodically forms rings resulting from a meander of the Gulf Stream being closed off from an alternate route distinctive from that meander, creating an independent eddy. Of these eddies, there are two types: cold core rings, which rotate cyclonically, and warm core rings, which rotate anti cyclonically. These rings have the capacity to transport the distinct biological, chemical, and physical properties of their originating waters to the new waters into which they tr…