Gulf Stream Current

     
Gulf Stream 2/19/96 Gulf Stream 2/25/96  
Image from February 19, 1996.
Sea-surface temperatures in degrees Celsius.
Image from February 25, 1996.
Sea-surface temperatures in degrees Celsius.
         
      Gulf Stream Current
The Gulf Stream is a strong, fast moving, warm ocean current that originates in the Gulf of Mexico and flows into the Atlantic Ocean. It makes up a portion of the North Atlantic Subtropical Gyre.

The majority of the Gulf Stream is classified as a western boundary current. This means that it is a current with behavior determined by the presence of a coastline - in this case the eastern United States and Canada - and is found on the western edge of an oceanic basin. Western boundary currents are normally very warm, deep, and narrow currents that carry water from the tropics to the poles.
  Atmospheric Circulation and Surface Currents