Currents

A subpolar gyre is a large-scale ocean current system located at high latitudes created by a persistent region of low atmospheric pressure. These gyres circulate water in a cyclonic direction – counter-clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere. This circular motion of water drives the upwelling of cold, nutrient-rich deep water to the surface, which plays an important role in regulating the climate in the higher latitudes as well as the nutrient cycles that sustain ocean ecosystems. Subpolar gyres influence the circulation of other ocean currents like the North Atlantic Current, the East Greenland Current, and the Labrador Current.