The Gulf Stream was first discovered in the early 16th century when Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon sailed across the Atlantic and discovered the Caribbean. He found a current in the water that seemed to impede the movement of the ships, despite a having a good wind for sailing.
Benjamin Franklin Discovers the Gulf Stream
Approximately 150 years later, Benjamin Franklin further explored the currents of the Atlantic Ocean. While serving as deputy postmaster of the British American colonies, he was dependent on the mail ships traveling to and from Great Britain. During one of his trips to England, he overheard a conversation about the ships taking a few weeks longer to reach America than it took to sail back to Britain.
Upon his return to the colonies, Franklin was curious about this anomaly and conducted an investigation with his cousin, Timothy Folger, and other captains on the whaling ships. They were familiar with the waters of the Atlantic Ocean and noticed a distinct difference in a large area of the ocean. The color of the water was different and the temperature was warmer.
With the help of the whaling captains, Franklin charted the waters of the Atlantic and named this area the Gulf Stream. They discovered the stream moved in a northeast direction. When the ships traveled from Britain to America, they were fighting the current.
The Components of the Gulf Stream
The Atlantic Ocean current system starts at the tip of Florida where the water is warm. It is known as the Florida Current and this is a narrow strip of deep and fast-flowing water. It moves up the east coast of the United States and at Cape Hatteras, it swings eastward toward Newfoundland in Canada.
At the Grand Banks, the current becomes wider and shallower. It also slows down in movement and crosses the Atlantic Ocean in a northeastward direction. This part of the system is known as the North Atlantic Drift.
Before reaching Great Britain, the current splits in two. The North Atlantic drift stream continues to Western and Northern Europe. The other stream heads southward towards West Africa and this is known as the Canary Current.
In turn, the Canary Current drifts across the Atlantic Ocean again and recycles through the Florida Current again.
How the Gulf Stream Affects the Weather
The Grand Banks of Newfoundland is one of the foggiest locations in the world. This is caused by the collision of the cold Labrador Current from the north and the warm North Atlantic Drift.
The warm water off the east coast of Florida moderates the prevailing winds and drifts inland. This helps keep the winter temperatures warmer than the other states in the Southeast U.S.
The vegetation along the east coast of the U.S., as far north as Nantucket, is more of the tropical variety, in comparison to the plant life found further inland.
The hurricanes in the North Atlantic originate in West Africa. The warm water from the Canary Current is heated in the tropical air and this creates storms. The clouds move westward across the Atlantic and sometimes form a tropical cyclone.
The Atlantic Drift is responsible for moderating the climate of the UK and Western Europe. The seaports in these areas remain ice-free during the winter and the average winter temperatures are warmer on the coast, compared to the harsher winter conditions further inland.
If it weren’t for the Gulf Stream, Northern and Western Europe and Great Britain would have harsh winters and hot summers like it is in Canada where they share the same latitude.
Sources:
North Atlantic Drift (Gulf Stream). Weather Online UK. Accessed December 16, 2010.
Ocean Circulations are Changing. Parliament of Australia, Parliamentary Library. September 1, 2009. Accessed December 16, 2010.
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