Labrador Stream

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LabradorCurrentus-coastguard.jpg

The Labrador Current is a cold, south-facing ocean current in an arm of the Atlantic Ocean between Greenland and the east coast of North America . Its name comes from this arm, the Labrador Sea . It is part of the small Atlantic current ring, consisting of the Labrador Current, Northeast Atlantic Current, Irminger Current and Greenland Current.

The Labrador Current has its origin in the Arctic Ocean and meets the warm Gulf Stream at the Newfoundland Banks , which it deflects towards Europe . He is therefore partly responsible for the mild climate in Europe. In the area where the Labrador Stream meets the Gulf Stream, fog often arises when the warm air above the Gulf Stream enters the cold air area above the Labrador Stream. This encounter also favors the formation of cyclones . The water of the Labrador Current is relatively low in salt due to its origin in the polar sea.

With the Labrador Current, icebergs often drift south, which then pose a threat to shipping in areas of the North Atlantic .

In studies of the δ 15 N isotopes (nitrogen isotopes) of the organic constituents of sea fans in the area of Labrador current were observed significant changes since the 1970s. The conducting scientists interpret the δ 15 N values ​​as an indicator of the nutrient availability in the water. The proportion of nutrient-rich water has increased measurably since the 1970s, which, according to the study, has been unique for the Labrador Current for 1800 years. This means that subtropical water is increasingly available instead of subpolar water in the area of ​​the Labrador Current. The researchers suspect a possible connection with the climatic changes observed during this period .

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Schultz et al., Sporthochseeschifferschein, Delius Klasing, ISBN 978-3-7688-1820-9
  2. ↑ a b c d e Owen A. Sherwood, Moritz F. Lehmann, Carsten J. Schubert, David B. Scott, Matthew D. McCarthy: Nutrient regime shift in the western North Atlantic indicated by compound-specific δ 15 N of deep- sea ​​gorgonian corals. doi : 10.1073 / pnas.1004904108 . in: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences . January 3, 2011.