For the picture of the oceanic circulation in the North Pacific Ocean to be complete, several other currents of adjacent seas must be mentioned.

ALEUTIAN CURRENT. The Aleutian Current flows east poleward of the North Pacific Current and separates at the Aleutian Islands. One branch flows north of the islands. It enters the Bering Sea, where it circulates in a counterclockwise manner before flowing south through the Bering Strait and joining the OYASHIO CURRENT.

The other branch flows south of the Aleutians. On approaching the coast of North America, one portion turns north and flows into the Gulf of Alaska, while the other flows south and becomes the CALIFORNIA CURRENT. The portion that flows into the Gulf of Alaska is a warm current. It brings milder winter temperatures to southern Alaska than would normally be expected at that latitude. On the other hand, the southward flow-ing branch is a cold current.

OYASHIO CURRENT. The Oyashio Cur-rent flows south from the vicinity of the Bering Strait to the northern islands of Japan. It divides at 40N. One branch turns east and joins the Kuroshio Current. The other branch flows south along Japans eastern coast.

In the winter, the Oyashio carries cold waters as far south as Vietnam, but in the summer, the summer monsoon restricts the Oyashio to the area north of 40N.

CALIFORNIA CURRENT. The California Current flows southward along the west coast of North America. In the spring and summer these cool waters have a definite cooling effect on the western coast of the United States. The prevail-ing north-northwest winds also create a great deal of upwelling, which adds to the cooler air temperatures of this area. Where the upwelling is intense, the spring temperatures are colder than the winter temperatures. In the areas of moderate upwelling, the winter temperatures are colder. The upwelling process ceases in the fall and gives way to a surface countercurrent known as the DAVID-SON CURRENT.

DAVIDSON CURRENT. This current exists in the fall and winter and flows northward along the California coast to about 48N.

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