The Labrador Current, flowing southward along the coast of Canada, is a:

The Labrador Current is a cold ocean current that flows southward from the Arctic Ocean along the coast of Labrador and Newfoundland in eastern Canada, in the North Atlantic Ocean.

Course of the current:

• It begins in the Arctic, mainly from Baffin Bay and the Davis Strait.
• It flows south along the eastern coast of Canada.
• Off Newfoundland, near the Grand Banks, it meets a major warm current of the North Atlantic.

Effects of the Labrador Current:

Fog: Where the cold Labrador Current meets the warm current near Newfoundland, warm moist air passing over cold water cools, producing thick fog. The Grand Banks region is one of the foggiest places in the world.

Rich fishing grounds: The mixing of cold and warm waters brings nutrients to the surface and promotes the growth of plankton, which supports huge fish populations. The Grand Banks were historically among the richest fishing grounds in the world, especially for cod.

Icebergs: The current carries icebergs from Greenland southward into the North Atlantic shipping lanes. The Titanic sank in 1912 after striking an iceberg in this region.

Cold climate: It makes the coasts of Labrador and Newfoundland cold, and the harbours freeze in winter, even though they lie at about the same latitude as parts of Britain.

General pattern of ocean currents:

Cold currents usually flow from higher latitudes (polar regions) towards the Equator, along the western coasts of continents in the tropics and subtropics, and along eastern coasts in higher latitudes, as with the Labrador Current.

Warm currents usually flow from the Equator towards the poles.

Other cold currents: Canary, Benguela, Humboldt (Peru), California, Oyashio and Falkland currents.

Warm currents: Kuroshio, Brazil, Agulhas and East Australian currents.

Why not the other options?

• ✗The Labrador Current is not a warm current; it brings cold Arctic water.
• ✗It is not a seasonal monsoon current like those of the north Indian Ocean.