Westward intensification of surface currents

Abstract

All the great civilizations of the past arose in lands protected from the cold, the eternal foe of life. It is true that more recent European civilization originated on a continent less endowed with the warmth of the Sun, but it, too, seemed to be protected from the pernicious breath of the north by an invisible friendly hand. Since time immemorial, a mysterious force has twisted the air over the Atlantic Ocean into huge eddies — cyclones that have brought warmth and life giving moisture to the continent. On their way over Europe, cyclones have driven the biting frost and the searing heat deep into the interior of the Asian continent. For centuries, Europeans had no idea of the source of their mellow climate, and it was only after the beginning of the exploration of America that they met their benefactor face to face. It was the Gulf Stream — the powerful warm current that cuts across the North Atlantic from south-west to north-east.