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How does the North Atlantic Current continue the flow of the Gulf Stream?

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World map showing major ocean current systems, with arrows indicating the direction and speed of warm and cold currents in the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Southern, and Arctic Oceans. Warm currents are marked in red and cold currents in blue, with currents labeled by name and symbols denoting those that reverse direction seasonally. A legend explains current speed categories and color codes. — ocean current Major ocean current systems of the world.

The North Atlantic Current serves as the northeastward extension of the Gulf Stream system. As the Gulf Stream flows northward along the North American coast to Cape Hatteras, it turns northeastward toward the Grand Banks of Newfoundland.123

In this region, the Gulf Stream begins to lose its identity as a well-defined, concentrated current. While parts of the flow loop back into the subtropical gyre or branch toward Spain and Portugal, the remaining warm, saline water continues northeastward as the North Atlantic Current. This current then carries these waters into the northernmost regions of the North Atlantic Ocean, including the Norwegian Sea.231

Unlike the intense, narrow flow of the Gulf Stream—which can reach speeds of 1 to 6 knots—the North Atlantic Current is composed of several broader, slower currents moving at approximately 0.2 knots. This extension is a vital component of the thermohaline circulation, facilitating the poleward transport of heat that helps maintain a mild climate in northwestern Europe.14