South Atlantic Gyre
{{Short description|Subtropical gyre in the south Atlantic Ocean}}
[[File:Currents.svg|thumb|The worlds oceans currents and gyres based on a "dolphins perspective" with flowing direction
red = warm, blue = cold
]]
The South Atlantic Gyre is the subtropical gyre in the south Atlantic Ocean. In the southern portion of the gyre, northwesterly (or southeastward-flowing) winds drive eastward-flowing currents that are difficult to distinguish from the northern boundary of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current.{{Cite web
| last1 = Guhin
| first1 = S.
| last2 = Ray
| first2 = P.
| last3 = Mariano
| first3 = A. J.
| last4 = Ryan
| first4 = E. H.
| title = The South Atlantic Current
| year = 2003
| publisher = Ocean Surface Currents
| url = http://oceancurrents.rsmas.miami.edu/atlantic/south-atlantic.html
| accessdate = 21 October 2009
| archive-date = 23 April 2023
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230423032744/https://oceancurrents.rsmas.miami.edu/atlantic/south-atlantic.html
| url-status = dead
}} Like other oceanic gyres, it collects vast amounts of floating debris as a garbage patch.{{Cite web
| title = National Geographic Endeavour: At Sea, South Atlantic Gyre (March 18, 2004)
| work = Daily Expedition Report | publisher = Lindblad Expeditions - National Geographic
| url = http://www.expeditions.com/daily-expedition-reports/140300/ocean-voyages/ | accessdate = 5 April 2014}}
Southern boundary
{{main|Antarctic Circumpolar Current}}
South of this gyre is the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. This current flows from West to East around Antarctica. Another name for this current is the West Wind Drift. This current allows Antarctica to maintain its huge ice sheet by keeping warm ocean waters away. At approximately 125 Sv, this current is the largest ocean current.{{Cite web | last1 = Smith | first1 = R. | last2 = Desflots | first2 = M. | last3 = White | first3 = S. | last4 = Mariano | first4 = A. J. | last5 = Ryan | first5 = E. H. | title = The Antarctic Circumpolar Current | year = 2013 | publisher = Ocean Surface Currents | url = http://oceancurrents.rsmas.miami.edu/southern/antarctic-cp.html | accessdate = 21 October 2009 | archive-date = 14 June 2010 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100614102611/http://oceancurrents.rsmas.miami.edu/southern/antarctic-cp.html | url-status = dead }}
Western boundary
{{main|Brazil Current}}
File:Nesocichla eremita -Inaccessible Island, British overseas territory-8 (3).jpg on Inaccessible Island, strewn with oceanic trash.]]
The Brazil Current is the western boundary current of the gyre. It flows south along the Brazilian coast to the Rio de la Plata. The current is considerably weaker than its North Atlantic counterpart, the Gulf Stream.{{Cite web
| last1 = Bischof
| first1 = B.
| last2 = Rowe
| first2 = E.
| last3 = Mariano
| first3 = A. J.
| last4 = Ryan
| first4 = E. H.
| title = The Brazil Current
| year = 2004
| publisher = Ocean Surface Currents
| url = http://oceancurrents.rsmas.miami.edu/atlantic/brazil.html
| accessdate = 21 October 2009
| archive-date = 11 November 2020
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201111213519/http://oceancurrents.rsmas.miami.edu/atlantic/brazil.html
| url-status = dead
}}
See also
- Ocean current
- Ocean gyre
- Volta do mar
- {{portal-inline|Oceans}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://oceancurrents.rsmas.miami.edu/index.html Ocean currents (rsmas.miami.edu)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220120145333/https://oceancurrents.rsmas.miami.edu/index.html |date=2022-01-20 }}
- [http://seawifs.gsfc.nasa.gov/OCEAN_PLANET/HTML/oceanography_currents_1.html Ocean currents (nasa.gov)]
{{Ocean}}
Category:Currents of the Atlantic Ocean
{{Marine-current-stub}}