<P> The North Atlantic Current (NAC), also known as North Atlantic Drift and North Atlantic Sea Movement, is a powerful warm western boundary current that extends the Gulf Stream north - eastward . </P> <P> The NAC originates from where the Gulf Stream turns north at the Southeast Newfoundland Rise, a submarine ridge that stretches south - east from the Grand Banks . The NAC flows northward east of the Grand Banks, from 40 ° N to 51 ° N, before turning sharply east to cross the Atlantic . It transports more warm tropical water to northern latitudes than any other boundary current; more than 40 Sv in the south and 20 Sv as it crosses the Mid-Atlantic Ridge . It reaches speeds of 2 knots near the North American coast . Directed by topography, the NAC meanders heavily but, in contrast to the meanders of the Gulf Stream, the NAC meanders remain stable without breaking off into eddies . </P> <P> The colder parts of the Gulf Stream turn northward near the "tail" of the Grand Banks at 50 ° W where the Azores Current branches off to flow south of the Azores . From there the NAC flows north - eastward east of the Flemish Cap (47 ° N, 45 ° W). Approaching the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, it then turns eastward and becomes much broader and more diffuse . It then splits into a colder, north - eastern branch and a warmer eastern branch . As the warmer branch turns southward most of the subtropical component of the Gulf Stream has been diverted southward and, as a consequence, the North Atlantic is mostly supplied by subpolar waters, including a contribution from the Labrador Current recirculated into the NAC at 45 ° N . </P> <P> West of Continental Europe, it splits into two major branches . One branch goes southeast, later to become the Canary Current as it passes northwest Africa and turns southwest . The other major branch continues north along the coast of Northwestern Europe . Other branches include the Irminger Current and the Norwegian Current . Driven by the global thermohaline circulation (THC), the North Atlantic Current is part of the wind - driven Gulf Stream, which goes further east and north from the North American coast across the Atlantic and into the Arctic Ocean . </P>

The current in the northwestern part of the north atlantic subtropical
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