Falkland Current
Also called: Malvinas Current · Topic: Movements of Ocean Water: Waves, Tides and Currents · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 13 "Movements of Ocean Water"
Meaning
The Falkland Current, also called the Malvinas Current, is a cold ocean current that flows north along the coast of Argentina. It is a branch of the West Wind Drift, the cold current that circles Antarctica. It carries cold water from the far south into warmer waters. This makes the coast of southern Argentina cool.
Example
The Falkland Current flows north past the Falkland Islands and the coast of Patagonia. It meets the warm Brazil Current off the Río de la Plata, the estuary between Argentina and Uruguay. This is one of the main places where a warm and a cold current meet.
Don't confuse with
- Brazil Current: it is warm and flows south along Brazil. The Falkland Current is cold and flows north.
- Labrador Current: it is also cold, but it flows south in the North Atlantic, past Canada.
Related concepts
- Gulf Stream
- North Atlantic Drift
- Canary Current
- Sargasso Sea
- Labrador Current
- Brazil Current
- Benguela Current