The North Pacific Current (sometimes referred to as the North Pacific Drift) is an ocean current that flows west-to-east between 30 and 50 degrees north in the Pacific Ocean . The current forms the southern part of the North Pacific Subpolar Gyre and the northern part of the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre. The North Pacific Current is formed by the collision of the Kuroshio Current , running northward off the coast of Japan, and the Oyashio Current , which is a cold subarctic current that flows south and circulates counterclockwise along the western North Pacific Ocean. In the eastern North Pacific off southern British Columbia , it splits into the southward flowing cold water California Current and the northward flowing Alaska Current .
5-561: Aleutian Current is also called the "Subarctic Current". An eastward flowing ocean current which lies north of the North Pacific Current ; it is the northern branch of the Kuroshio Current which moves northeast then east between 40° N and 50° N. As it approaches the coast of North America it divides to form the northward-flowing Alaska Current and the southward-flowing California Current . This article about
10-449: A large area and brings warmer water from the subtropics to the sub-polar latitudes. Average sea surface temperature along the NPC can range in the winter from 45 to 61 °F (7.2-16.1 °C) and in the summer months 64 °F-74 °F (17.8-23.3 °C). As it flows from west to east, the latitudinal extent of the NPC increases so much that it spans some 20 degrees of latitude east of
15-613: A specific ocean current is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . North Pacific Current Originating from the eastward directed flow occurring east of the island of Honshu, Japan, the North Pacific Current extends over 40° of longitude. According to the Great Soviet Encyclopedia, the NPC may be considered to be a part or an extension of the Kuroshio current. The current covers
20-632: The bifurcation of the NPC. The Gulf of Alaska and the California Current receive different volumes and flows of warm water from the North Pacific Current. The Gulf of Alaska receives about 60% of the flow of the NPC while the California Current receives the remaining 40%. These values may fluctuate, resulting in changes in the volume and the speed of the NPC water entering into the Alaska and California Currents. The NPC forms
25-403: The dateline. This is associated with a decrease in the speed of current; eastward directed speeds at the surface are typically less than 0.05 m/s (5 cm/s) in the central Pacific. As the NPC approaches the west coast of North America, it divides into two broad currents: the northward flowing Alaska Current and the southward flowing California Current. The splitting of flow is referred to as
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