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The Gulf Stream is a warm ocean current in the Atlantic that flows from the Gulf of Mexico along the eastern coast of the United States and toward Europe. It matters because it significantly influences the climate of regions it passes, making areas like Western Europe warmer than they would otherwise be at similar latitudes.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
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Surface temperatures in the western North Atlantic: The Gulf Stream is represented by the large red-yellow (hot) flow from the Gulf of Mexico northwards in this image. Source: NASA
The Gulf Stream is a warm and swift Atlantic ocean current that originates in the Gulf of Mexico and flows through the Straits of Florida and up the eastern coastline of the United States, then veers east near 36°N latitude (North Carolina) and moves toward Northwest Europe as the North Atlantic Current. The process of western intensification causes the Gulf Stream to be a northward-accelerating current off the east coast of North America. Around 40°0′N 30°0′W / 40.000°N 30.000°W / 40.000; -30.000, it splits in two, with the northern stream, the North Atlantic Drift, crossing to Northern Europe and the southern stream, the Canary Current, recirculating off West Africa.