Calvin C Cochrane  age 12 Rockville, Va.

What makes the Gulf Stream warm?

The Gulf Stream stems from the equatorial region of the Atlantic Ocean., There the seas are contantly warmed by the smiling tropical sunshine. Water is always slower to heat and slower to cool than the land. This water will cool very slowly because it retains the heat of many tropical days, Driven by the trade winds] the water is pushed westward. When it meets the coast of North America ,a river of warm water is forced to turn.

This is the Gulf Stream. The warm ocean river flows north off the shore of North America, off Newfoundland it clashes with the cold Labrador Current flowing down from polar regions. The warm Gulf Stream bends again and turns eastward.

All this time the water is cooling very  very slowly. It is still warm enough to effect the climate when it reaches Northern Europe„ It has warmed the air above it, The warm air is moist. The moisture chills to fog when the air meets cooler air over the British Isles and Scandanavia. The warm Gulf Stream causes fogs in these areas. But it also keeps the climate from becoming very cold.