Editing Atlantic Ocean (section)

== Climate ==
[[File:Atlantic hurricane graphic.png|thumb|Waves in the [[trade winds]] in the Atlantic Ocean{{snd}}areas of converging winds that move along the same track as the prevailing wind{{snd}}create instabilities in the atmosphere that may lead to the formation of hurricanes.|alt=Map of Caribbean showing seven approximately parallel westward-pointing arrows that extend from east of the Virgin Islands to Cuba. The southern arrows bend northward just east of the Dominican Republic before straightening out again.]]

The climate is influenced by the temperatures of the surface waters and water currents as well as winds. Because of the ocean's great capacity to store and release heat, maritime climates are more moderate and have less extreme seasonal variations than inland climates. [[Precipitation (meteorology)|Precipitation]] can be approximated from coastal weather data and air temperature from water temperatures.<ref name="USN-2001" />

The oceans are the major source of atmospheric moisture that is obtained through evaporation. Climatic zones vary with latitude; the warmest zones stretch across the Atlantic north of the equator. The coldest zones are in high latitudes, with the coldest regions corresponding to the areas covered by sea ice. Ocean currents influence the climate by transporting warm and cold waters to other regions. The winds that are cooled or warmed when blowing over these currents influence adjacent land areas.<ref name="USN-2001" />

The [[Gulf Stream]] and its northern extension towards Europe, the [[North Atlantic Current|North Atlantic Drift]] is thought to have at least some influence on climate. For example, the Gulf Stream helps moderate winter temperatures along the coastline of southeastern North America, keeping it warmer in winter along the coast than inland areas. The Gulf Stream also keeps extreme temperatures from occurring on the Florida Peninsula. In the higher latitudes, the North Atlantic Drift, warms the atmosphere over the oceans, keeping the British Isles and northwestern Europe mild and cloudy, and not severely cold in winter, like other locations at the same high latitude. The cold water currents contribute to heavy fog off the coast of eastern Canada (the [[Grand Banks of Newfoundland]] area) and Africa's northwestern coast. In general, winds transport moisture and air over land areas.<ref name="USN-2001" />

=== Natural hazards ===
[[File:Iceberg A22A, South Atlantic Ocean.jpg|thumb|Iceberg A22A in the South Atlantic Ocean]]
Every winter, the [[Icelandic Low]] produces frequent storms. [[Iceberg]]s are common from early February to the end of July across the shipping lanes near the [[Grand Banks of Newfoundland]]. The ice season is longer in the polar regions, but there is little shipping in those areas.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.navcen.uscg.gov/?pageName=IIPHome|title=About International Ice Patrol (IIP)|website=U. S. Coast Guard Navigation Center|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211205001208/https://www.navcen.uscg.gov/?pageName=IIPHome|archive-date=5 December 2021}}</ref>

[[Atlantic hurricane|Hurricanes]] are a hazard in the western parts of the North Atlantic during the summer and autumn. Due to a consistently strong [[wind shear]] and a weak [[Intertropical Convergence Zone]], [[South Atlantic tropical cyclone]]s are rare.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/tcfaq/G6.html|title=Why doesn't the South Atlantic Ocean experience tropical cyclones?|last=Landsea|first=Chris|date=13 July 2005|website=Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory|publisher=National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration|access-date=9 June 2018|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612143147/http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/tcfaq/G6.html|archive-date=12 June 2018}}</ref>