Title: The Caribbean Current
Headings: The Caribbean Current

Content: The Caribbean is a semi-enclosed sea adjacent to the landmasses of Central and South America. The closely spaced chain of islands, banks, and sills of the Antilles Islands Arc separate the Caribbean from the Atlantic Ocean and act as a sieve for the inflow of Atlantic water (Murphy et al. 1999; Andrade and Barton 2000). The Caribbean Sea is highly stratified in the upper 1200 m of the water column; weakly stratified between 1200 and 2000 m; and nearly homogeneous below 2000 m. This water structure is directly related to the sill depths of the Antilles Islands arc, for they impede the flow of deep water into the Caribbean (Gordon 1967). The islands of Cuba, Hispaniola, and Puerto Rico are collectively known as the Greater Antilles, while the smaller islands from Guadaloupe south to Grenada are known as the Lesser Antilles. The northern segment of the Lesser Antilles is known as the Leeward Islands, while the southern segment is known as the Windward Islands. In total, the Caribbean Sea spans over 3500 km of longitude and about 2500 km of latitude (Andrade and Barton 2000).