Four Major Ocean Currents North of the Equator

Key Northern Hemisphere Currents

1. Gulf Stream: Warm, powerful current from the Gulf of Mexico up the U.S. East Coast, then across the Atlantic as the North Atlantic Drift and Canary Current, warming Western Europe.
2. Kuroshio Current: Western Pacific warm current flowing north past Japan, the Pacific counterpart to the Gulf Stream.
3. North Equatorial Current: Wind-driven westward flow across the tropical Pacific, north of the equator.
4. California Current: Cool, southward-flowing eastern boundary current along the North American west coast.

Additional Notable Currents

Humboldt (Peru), Oyashio (North Pacific), East/West Greenland Currents—these smaller systems complete the northern circulation.

Together, these currents redistribute heat, regulate climate, and drive marine productivity worldwide.