Which one of the following ocean currents is a cold current?
- (a)South Atlantic Drift
- (b)Mozambique Current
- (c)East Australian Current
- (d)Caribbean Current
Correct — A, the South Atlantic Drift. The South Atlantic Drift (South Atlantic Current) flows eastward across the southern Atlantic as part of the cold-water circulation of the Southern Ocean, carrying cool water toward the coast of southern Africa. The Mozambique, East Australian and Caribbean currents are all warm currents flowing out of the tropics.
- (b)Mozambique Current — The Mozambique Current is a warm current flowing southward down the East African coast, part of the western-boundary warm circulation of the Indian Ocean.
- (c)East Australian Current — The East Australian Current is a warm current carrying tropical water southward along Australia's east coast.
- (d)Caribbean Current — The Caribbean Current is a warm current that funnels tropical Atlantic water into the Caribbean and feeds the Gulf Stream.
Ocean currents are classed as warm or cold by the temperature of the water they carry relative to their surroundings. Warm currents move poleward from the tropics along the western sides of oceans (eastern coasts of continents); cold currents move equatorward from higher latitudes, often along eastern ocean margins, and include the great eastward drifts of the Southern Ocean.
Test each current's source. Currents originating in the tropics and flowing poleward (Mozambique, East Australian, Caribbean) are warm; the South Atlantic Drift belongs to the cool eastward flow of the Southern Ocean, so it is the cold current. The trap is that all four are major named currents — only their thermal character separates them.
- Cold currents carry cool water equatorward, often along eastern ocean margins.
- The South Atlantic Drift/Current is a cold eastward flow in the southern Atlantic.
- Mozambique and East Australian currents are warm poleward currents.
- The Caribbean Current is a warm current that feeds the Gulf Stream.
Only the South Atlantic Drift is a cold current; the other three are warm tropical currents.
- Assuming a current in a warm region must be a warm current — thermal type depends on the source and direction of flow.
- Confusing the South Atlantic Drift with the warm currents on the list.
One current must be identified as cold — recall that poleward tropical currents are warm while the eastward Southern-Ocean drifts are cold.
No directly related past PYQ was found.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Which one of the following is a warm ocean current?
- (a)Labrador Current
- (b)Benguela Current
- (c)Gulf Stream
- (d)Canary Current
Answer(c) Gulf Stream — a warm current; Labrador, Benguela and Canary are cold currents.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Cold ocean currents generally flow
- (a)poleward along the eastern coasts of continents
- (b)equatorward along the western coasts of continents
- (c)only within the Arctic Ocean
- (d)from west to east along the equator
Answer(b) equatorward along the western coasts of continents — the typical path of cold currents.