🔍 Key Concepts

• Major Atlantic Ocean surface currents between North America and West Africa • General direction and location of the Canary Current along the Northwest African coast • Difference between set and drift (direction vs. speed) when thinking about currents

💭 Think About

• On a great-circle route from Halifax to Dakar, think about whether your track approaches the west side or east side of the Atlantic near Africa. • Visualize or sketch the North Atlantic subtropical gyre (Gulf Stream, North Atlantic Current, Canary Current, North Equatorial Current). Where does the Canary Current fit in, and which way does it flow? • If your ship is heading generally toward Dakar from the northwest, and the Canary Current flows roughly along the African coast, would it be helping push you forward, pushing you sideways to the right or left, or working against you?

✅ Before You Answer

• Confirm on an ocean current chart that the Canary Current flows generally southward or southwestward along the northwest coast of Africa. • Compare the ship’s approximate course direction (from Halifax to Dakar) to the current’s direction: is the current more ahead of you, behind you, or mostly from the side? • Decide whether the current’s main effect would be thrust along your track (fair/head) or set sideways (right/left) based on the angle between your course and the current direction.