Atlantic Ocean by three inter-connected currents: the Gulf Stream which flows north-east from the North American coast at Cape Hatteras; the North Atlantic Current, a branch of the Gulf Stream which flows northward from the Grand Banks; and the Subpolar Front, an extension of the North Atlantic Current, a wide, vaguely defined region separating the subtropical gyre from the subpolar gyre. This system of currents transport warm water into the North Atlantic, without which temperatures in the North Atlantic and Europe would plunge dramatically. North of the North Atlantic Gyre, the cyclonic North Atlantic Subpolar Gyre plays a key role in climate
North Atlantic oscillation in the Arctic summer is weakened in the following winter, enabling Arctic cold to push down to mid-latitudes. Despite one of the strongest El Nino ever recorded in the Pacific Ocean, a largely positive North Atlantic Oscillation prevailed over Europe during the Winter of 2015-2016. For example, Cumbria in England registered one of the wettest months on record. Meanwhile, the Maltese Islands in the Mediterranean Sea registered one of the driest years ever recorded up to beginning of March as the Island's national average was only 235mm to date with some areas registering even less than 200mm. North Atlantic oscillation