The North Atlantic Drift (also known as the North Atlantic Current) is a warm current in the northern Atlantic Ocean. It is basically the continuation of the Gulf Stream, which begins off the southern coast of Florida. The North Atlantic Drift originates at the Grand Banks of Newfoundland at approximately 40° North latitude and 50° West longitude, and flows in a northeasterly direction. As it approaches the Iceland-Faeroe Rise and the Wyville-Thompson Ridge, it splits up into the Irminger Current and the Norwegian Current.
The Erminger Current flows off the southern coast of Iceland, while the Norwegian Current keeps the original northeasterly direction until it reaches the islands of Spitsbergen and Novaya Zemlya. There, the North Atlantic Drift forms the boundary between subtropical and polar waters, and therefore its northern margin is often called the North Atlantic polar front. The current reaches a velocity of 1–2 m/sec in the south but decreases to 10–20 cm/ sec as it flows northeast. Its depth is 1,500 m. At its greatest depth its velocity is 1–3 cm/sec. The flow rate varies greatly, from 20 million to 40 million cu ni per sec, depending on the flow rate of the Gulf Stream.
The widely meandering path of the North Atlantic Drift is associated with the formation of long-existing eddies several hundred kilometers in diameter on the current’s northern boundary. Changes in the position and flow rate of the North Atlantic Drift have a significant effect on the weather and climate of Western and Northern Europe, especially the British Isles.
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| The North Atlantic Drift is basically a continuation of Gulf Stream. |