Labrador CurrentTyler Adams

Geographically

• Fed from the north by the Baffin Current

• Follows the Labrador coast to the Grand Banks

• Splits at Hamilton Bank

• Intercepted by Gulf Stream

• Feeds Gulf of Maine and Bay of Fundy

Physical Attributes

• Average currents are 0.3-0.5 m/s

• Cold water current• Very low salinity• Largely barotropic• Transport nearly twice

as much as calculations would indicate

Seasonal Variability

Mar - Apr - May Sept - Oct - Nov

Biodiversity

• Cold Arctic waters are nutrient rich

• Abundance of life near the end of the Labrador current

• Depends on both it and the Gulf Stream

• Once was home to the a strong cod industry

Deep Labrador Current

• Secondary current below 2,500 meters

• Strongest flow between March and May

• Significant warming