The great ocean currents swirl around in huge eddies north and south of the equator. They flow like vast rivers through the seas, around and back, around and back again. The ocean current in the North Atlantic runs westward above the equator, turns north off our shores and bends eastward near Newfoundland. From there it crosses to northern Europe and some of Its waters turn south to link up again with the stream near the equator.

Altogether, the swirling eddy is thousands of miles long. But it was discovered bit by bit and the entire system of the flowing stream was not put together until much later. Part of the stream was discovered off Africa and named the Canary Current. Part was found by early sailing ships to the New World and named the Gulf Stream.