Click on this image to enlarge Many interesting features can be seen on this monthly and spatially averaged global SST image. The continents have been masked in black. To the right of the East coast of the USA a thin tongue of warm water can bee seen stretching northwards - the famous Gulf Stream. In non El Nino years this cool tongue does not appear. The image is 500 km wide, and covers an area from New York, in the North, to Pamlico Sound, North Carolina, in the South.
Hot areas are black and red, while cool areas are white and blue.
The Gulf Stream is clearly seen at the bottom right. It is partly because of the Gulf Stream that our climate is so mild. Dramatic images such as this not only illustrate this strong warm current very graphically, but also help us to observe and understand changes that seem to be occuring in the Gulf Stream and how these changes can affect the climate in Britain. The coast of North Africa can be seen in purple at the bottom of the image. The Canaries Click on this image to enlarge This is a similar image to that above.