Chapter 9 - Atlantic Ocean

Abstract

This chapter provides an overview of the Atlantic Ocean. The Atlantic Ocean is a long, narrow ocean basin bisected by the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR). Wind-driven gyres and the wind-driven tropical circulation dominate transports in the upper ocean. The gyres and their western boundary currents include the anticyclonic subtropical gyres of the North Atlantic (Gulf Stream and North Atlantic Current) and South Atlantic (Brazil Current) and the cyclonic subpolar gyre of the northern North Atlantic (East Greenland Current and Labrador Current). The subtropical gyres include eastern boundary current upwelling systems: the Canary Current system in the North Atlantic and Benguela Current System (BCS) in the South Atlantic. The tropical circulation is predominantly zonal (east–west), including the North Equatorial Countercurrent and the South Equatorial Current, and has a low-latitude western boundary current (North Brazil Current; NBC). The chapter discusses concepts of wind forcing, and buoyancy forcing as they apply to Atlantic Ocean. It discusses subtropical circulation, Gulf Stream system, and Canary and Portugal current systems. An overview of Atlantic Ocean water masses and Meridional overturning circulation in the Atlantic is also presented in the chapter.