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Why is Europe warmer
than Northern Canada?
By Rebecca S.
Introduction
Northern Canada and Europe are located on the
same line of latitude, but they have completely
different climates and weather patterns. Did you
ever wonder why this was? It all has to do with a
very important current, the Gulf Stream.
QuickTime™ and a
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are need ed to see this picture.
What is the Gulf Stream?
The Gulf Stream is the
second largest current
system in the world, and
the largest system in the
Atlantic Ocean. It is QuickTime™ an d a
formed off the coast of TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
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Florida and ends in
northwest Europe. The
average temperature of
the Gulf Stream is 77
degrees Fahrenheit, which
keeps the air temperature
of the earth warmer in
some places.
How does the Gulf Stream
work?
Winds from the Artic cool the
surface water in the Atlantic. The
cool water becomes denser and
saltier, so it sinks to the ocean
floor. Then, the new surface water
QuickTime™ and a begins to warm as it moves to the
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are neede d to see this picture. equator. The Gulf Stream moves
the warm water in the Gulf of
Mexico to the Atlantic to replace
the cold water that moved toward
the equator. The Gulf Stream is
classified as a convection current
because the cold water sinks and
the warm water rises.
What is a Convection
Current?
Convection currents are
caused by the expansion of a
Quic kTime™ and a
TIFF (Uncompres sed) dec ompress or
liquid (or gas or solid) as its
are needed to s ee this pic ture.
temperature gets higher. The
less dense, warmer liquid
rises and the denser, cold
liquid sinks. The Gulf Stream
is a convection current.
Specific Heat Capacity of
Water
The quantity of heat required to raise the temperature of a
substance by one degree Celsius is known as the heat
capacity of water. Every substance has a different heat
capacity; however, water has a very high heat capacity. Water
takes a long time to warm in the sun, but it also takes a long
time to cool during the night. Water resists change in
temperature because of its high heat capacity. The Gulf
Stream keeps the water warm, which helps the climate in some
parts of the world
Water stays hot for
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are neede d to see this picture. a long amount of
time.
How does the Gulf Stream
impact the Climate in
Europe?
The Gulf Stream carries
warm waters to the Atlantic
near Europe and stays
warm until it starts to cool.
The Gulf Stream plays a
major role in warming QuickTime™ and a
France, England, and other TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
are need ed to see this picture.
European countries. The
warm waters keep the air
warm in Europe. “This Gulf
Stream is a huge heat
generator that enables the
coasts of Europe to be
decked in eternal
greenery…” – Jules Verne
Why is Europe warmer than
Canada?
Part of Canada and
Europe are on the same
QuickTime™ and a
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are neede d to se e this picture. line of latitude, but
Canada is much colder
than Europe. Why is
Snow covered
mountains in
this? It is because of the
Canada. Gulf Stream. The Gulf
QuickTime™ and a
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Stream does not go near
are needed to see this pic ture.
Eiffel
Canada, so the warm
Tower in
Paris.
waters do not make the
air warm, but the Gulf
Stream does go towards
Europe, which makes it
warmer over there.
The Gulf Stream
is shown in this
picture in the
lighter blue,
green, yellow,
and red. You can
see that it goes
up the east coast
and cuts across
the Atlantic and
goes over to
Europe
QuickTime™ and a
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are neede d to see this picture.
On the next slide I have my graph. I
asked 20 adults why Europe is warmer
than Canada, then graphed their
responses as either correct, incorrect,
or “don’t know”.
Why is Europe Warmer than Canada?
12
11
10
8
# of Responses
6
5
4
4
2
0
Correct Incorrect Didn't Know
Adult Responses
Vocabulary Words
Convection current: caused by the
expansion of a liquid (or gas or solid) as
its temperature gets higher
Temperature: The property of a material
that tells how warm or cold it is relative to
some standard. In an ideal gas, the
molecular kinetic energy per molecule
Specific heat capacity: quantity of heat
required to raise the temperature of a
substance by one degree Celsius
Current: A current is the rate of fluid flow,
especially water in a river or ocean. A
current can be any continuous, directed
movement of a fluid.
Related Links: The following sites
were used to gather information and images.
NASA Observtory From this website I used a good image of the Gulf Stream
CNES I got some really good information from this site.
The Cooperative for Marine and Atmospheric Studies I got some very useful
information from this site.
California State University This website had very useful information and it was
very easy to understand.
BBC Weather Center This website had very good, through information about the
Gulf Stream.
Mrs. Peck’s Physics
Homepage
Other Students “Biggie Question”
projects
The
End
