A significant characteristic of the large-scale North Atlantic circulation is the poleward transport of heat. Heat is transferred in a northward direction throughout the North Atlantic. This heat is absorbed by the tropical waters of the Pacific and Indian oceans as well as of the Atlantic and is then transferred to the high latitudes, where it is finally given up to the atmosphere. The mechanism for the heat transfer is principally by thermohaline circulation rather than by wind-driven circulation. Circulation of the thermohaline type involves a large-scale overturning of the ocean, with warm and saline water in the upper 1,000 ...(100 of 37038 words)