The Gulf Stream is a poleward flowing current in the Atlantic Ocean. Which one of the following statements with regard to this is not correct?

The correct answer is D: it is not correct that the warm water of the Gulf Stream sustains the coral reefs of the West Pacific coast. The Gulf Stream is a warm current of the North Atlantic. It starts in the Gulf of Mexico, passes through the Florida Strait, flows north along the east coast of the USA and then turns north-east across the Atlantic as the North Atlantic Drift, keeping the ports of north-western Europe ice-free in winter. It cannot reach the Pacific, so it has no role in Pacific reefs. Option A is correct, so it is not the answer: the Kuroshio is the matching warm current of the North Pacific, flowing north-east along the coast of Japan. Option B is correct because the stream carries warm tropical water towards higher latitudes. Option C is correct because the current warms the air and fuels storms and fog along the east coast of the USA, especially where it meets the cold Labrador Current near Newfoundland. Exam tip: Gulf Stream (Atlantic) and Kuroshio (Pacific) are both warm western boundary currents; Gulf Stream plus Labrador Current = fog of the Grand Banks.