GLG150 Earth’s Dynamic Ocean and Atmosphere WEEK 4

In 1492, when Christopher Columbus set sail across the Atlantic Ocean in search of China, he took an indirect route. On the outward voyage, he sailed southwest toward the Canary Islands and then west on a course that carried him to the Caribbean Islands, where he first sighted land. In choosing this course, he was taking advantage of favorable winds and surface ocean currents , rather than fighting the westerly winds and currents that would have hindered his progress if he had taken a more northerly route. On the return trip, he sailed a more northerly route in order to take advantage of the westerly winds at that latitude. The North Atlantic currents that Columbus exploited are shown in Figure 12.11, a world map that illustrates how surface ocean currents are established in different regions.

Process Diagram    Figure 12.11    World map of surface ocean currents Surface drifts and currents of the oceans in January.