The Gulf Stream Carries Warm Water Across the Atlantic
This powerful current flows from the Gulf of Mexico toward Europe and helps keep the climate of Western Europe milder than its latitude suggests.
Topic10 facts
Explore the vast Atlantic Ocean! Discover its rich marine life, vital role in global climate, and fascinating history connecting continents. Dive into facts about its depths & currents.
This powerful current flows from the Gulf of Mexico toward Europe and helps keep the climate of Western Europe milder than its latitude suggests.
The wreck was found in 1985 at a depth of about 3,800 meters, roughly 600 kilometers off Newfoundland.
Bounded by ocean currents instead of land, the Sargasso Sea is named for the floating Sargassum seaweed that gathers there.
Running roughly 16,000 kilometers, the ridge marks where tectonic plates are pulling apart, widening the ocean by a few centimeters each year.
Only the Pacific is bigger. The Atlantic stretches from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south.
The archipelago's dramatic landscapes, from towering peaks to black sand beaches, are entirely shaped by ancient volcanic activity. Fogo remains an active volcano, frequently reminding residents of its fiery origins.
Often mistakenly grouped with Caribbean islands, Bermuda actually lies far to the north, about 650 miles east-southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. Its unique location gives it a subtropical climate distinct from the tropical Caribbean.
The island's treacherous coral reefs, combined with its location along historic shipping lanes, have led to centuries of maritime disasters. Many wrecks are shallow and well-preserved, making Bermuda a world-class destination for wreck diving.
Despite its subtropical location, Bermuda's reefs thrive thanks to the warming influence of the Gulf Stream. These isolated reefs are incredibly diverse and act as a natural barrier, protecting the island from ocean storms.
The term was first coined in 1964 by Vincent Gaddis in a pulp magazine article, "The Deadly Bermuda Triangle," describing a pattern of disappearances. It gained popular traction despite the U.S. Coast Guard and other sources finding no evidence of disproportionate incidents.