North Atlantic Ocean

The northern portion of the Atlantic Ocean, extending between the Americas and Europe and northwestern Africa. It connects the Arctic Ocean with the tropical Atlantic.

Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation: A system of Atlantic currents that transports warm surface water northward and returns colder deep water southward. Its northward heat transport shapes the North Atlantic’s climate and water structure.
North Atlantic shipping routes: Maritime corridors connecting ports in North America, Europe, and nearby regions. They link the two sides of the basin and carry a large share of transatlantic trade.
Atlantic Ocean opening: The progressive formation of the Atlantic Ocean as the Americas separated from Europe and Africa. This tectonic process created the basin’s fundamental width and continental margins.
European climate: The regional climates of Europe, shaped by latitude, atmospheric circulation, and nearby seas. North Atlantic heat transport moderates temperatures in parts of western and northern Europe.
AMOC slowdown: A weakening of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation relative to its earlier strength. Researchers assess whether observed circulation changes signal a sustained shift in the North Atlantic.
Gulf Stream: A strong western boundary current that carries warm water from the Gulf of Mexico toward the North Atlantic. It is the most prominent warm current entering the basin from the subtropics.
North Atlantic right whale: A critically endangered baleen whale found along the western North Atlantic coast and offshore waters. Its habitat overlaps heavily with shipping and fishing activity in the western basin.
Mid-Atlantic Ridge: A submarine mountain chain marking the divergent boundary between tectonic plates beneath the Atlantic. Seafloor spreading along its northern sections continues to widen the ocean basin.
Hurricane: A tropical cyclone with sustained winds of at least 74 miles per hour in the Atlantic basin. Many Atlantic hurricanes develop or intensify over the basin before reaching land.
Atlantic multidecadal variability: Long-term fluctuations in North Atlantic sea-surface temperatures and related climate patterns. Its causes and predictability remain central questions in basin-scale climate research.

Linked from 27 pages