North Atlantic Current eastward and becomes much broader and more diffuse. It then splits into a colder northeastern branch and a warmer eastern branch. As the warmer branch turns southward, most of the subtropical component of the Gulf Stream is diverted southward, and as a consequence, the North Atlantic is mostly supplied by subpolar waters, including a contribution from the Labrador Current recirculated into the NAC at 45°N. West of Continental Europe, it splits into two major branches. One branch goes southeast, becoming the Canary Current as it passes northwest Africa and turns southwest. The other major branch continues north along the coast
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