The Florida Current is a thermal ocean current that flows from the Straits of Florida around the Florida Peninsula and along the southeastern coast of the United States before joining the Gulf Stream Current near Cape Hatteras. Its contributing currents are the Loop Current and the Antilles Current. The current was discovered by Spanish explorer

Juan Ponce de León Juan Ponce de León (, , , ; 1474 – July 1521) was a Spanish explorer and ''conquistador'' known for leading the first official European expedition to Florida and for serving as the first governor of Puerto Rico. He was born in Santerv� ...

in 1513. The Florida Current results from the movement of water pushed from the

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

into the

Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea ( es, Mar Caribe; french: Mer des Caraïbes; ht, Lanmè Karayib; jam, Kiaribiyan Sii; nl, Caraïbische Zee; pap, Laman Karibe) is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexic ...

by the

rotation Rotation, or spin, is the circular movement of an object around a '' central axis''. A two-dimensional rotating object has only one possible central axis and can rotate in either a clockwise or counterclockwise direction. A three-dimensional ...

of the Earth (which exerts a greater force at the

equator The equator is a circle of latitude, about in circumference, that divides Earth into the Northern and Southern hemispheres. It is an imaginary line located at 0 degrees latitude, halfway between the North and South poles. The term can also ...

). The water piles up along

Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...

and flows northward through the

Yucatán Channel The Yucatán Channel or Straits of Yucatán (Spanish: ''Canal de Yucatán'') is a strait between Mexico and Cuba. It connects the Yucatán Basin of the Caribbean Sea with the Gulf of Mexico. It is just over wide and nearly deep at its deepes ...

into the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United ...

. The water is heated in the Gulf and forced out through the Florida Straits, between the

Florida Keys The Florida Keys are a coral cay archipelago located off the southern coast of Florida, forming the southernmost part of the continental United States. They begin at the southeastern coast of the Florida peninsula, about south of Miami, and e ...

and

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribb ...

and flows northward along the east coast of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

. The Florida Current is often referred to imprecisely as the

Gulf Stream 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 flows through the Straits of Florida and up the eastern coastline of the Unit ...

. In fact, the Florida Current joins the Gulf Stream off the east coast of

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and ...

Transport

The Florida Current has an estimated mean transport of 30 Sv, varying seasonally and interannually by as much as 10 Sv. The volume transport increases as it flows farther north, reaching its maximum transport of 85 Sv near Cape Hatteras. The water reaches a velocity of 1.8 m/s or 3.6 knots.

Seasonal variation

The seasonal variation of the Florida Current is relatively understudied. Seasonal variability in transports and eddies has been more intensely studied in the nearby Gulf stream. Past research indicates The Florida current reaches a maximum transport in July and a minimum transport in October, with a subsequent secondary maximum and minimum occurring in January and April, respectively. Shorter variations in the transport may last between 2 and 20 days depending on wind current patterns, and are shortest during the summer months. Therefore, the effects of the seasonal variability of the Florida Current on the wider reaching Gulf Stream is unknown. Wind speed, wind direction, topography, and temperature are important factors in determining current strength. Seasonal variation of weather in the South Florida region can help predict seasonal variability of current strength and transport. Stronger winds and higher temperatures lead to increased current flow due to the increase of the energy added into the system. Inversely, less wind speed and colder temperatures slow down currents and transport is typically lower. However, the Florida Current is formed in the Gulf of Mexico by the Yucatán Current and Gulf of Mexico Loop Current and is important to monitor to determine flux in seasonal variations at the formation of the current.

Spatial scale

Like transport, the spatial magnitude of the current increases along its course. At 27°N, it has a width of ; it gradually increases from at 29°N to where it flows into the Gulf Stream at 73°W.

References

External links

Florida Current Transport Time Series and Cruises
Western Boundary Time Series *Joanna Gyory et al

University of Miami {{Ocean Currents of the Atlantic Ocean

Transport

Seasonal variation

Spatial scale

See also

References

External links