Gulf Stream and Jet Stream

Life on the Mossfells is greatly influenced by the presence of three large rivers - two in the ocean and one in the atmosphere. The North Atlantic Gulf Stream is a current which originates in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. This current carries warm water up the Eastern Seaboard of the United States and across the Atlantic toward Europe. The presence of the Gulf Stream is greatly influential in keeping Western Europe warmer than other locations at the same latitude. The current also helps promote the formation of rain, causing most of the British Isles, northern France, and southern Massachusetts to have a temperate oceanic climate (Cfb).

The Labrador current is weaker cold water current that originates in the North Atlantic by the eastern coast of Greenland. As it snakes down the continental shelf, it provides a cooling effect on the Canadian Maritimes, Newfoundland, and New England. Beyond Cape Cod, the stronger Gulf Stream becomes the dominant ocean current along the coast. Despite being weaker than the Gulf Stream, the Labrador current is well known for transporting icebergs as far south as Bermuda and the Azores.

The Mossfells lie at the confluence of the two currents. The position of the seamounts slightly prevents Gulf Stream waters from deviating upwards, however minimally affects the path of the Gulf Stream. The Gulf Stream provides the same warming and humidifying effect that is seen in other Atlantic Cfb regions. This effect is so great in some of the islands, that climates can resemble that of southern Florida rather than that of southern England. To the north, the Labrador current provides a cooling effect on the northernmost islands in the chain. This cold current also does not provide the same humidifying effect as the Gulf Stream, causing the easternmost sides of islands in the chain to have drier climates similar to El Paseo, Texas and Extremadura, Spain.

Another large factor in the islands' climate is the presences of the Jet Streams. The Jet Streams are currents of air generated by the rotation of the earth. These strong currents in the upper atmosphere blow west to east and aid in the movement of weather formations. Due to the Mossfells being right off the coast of North America, they experience much of the precipitation of the eastern seaboard such as rain, sleet, and winter storms.

If not for the Jet Streams and the warm, humid Gulf current, the Mossfells would likely experience the same climatic conditions of the Galapagos. On the Galapagos, the sides of the islands facing the south are exposed to humid air that only condenses at a higher altitude. This zone this verdant and humid, but as the altitude decreases, the precipitation is significantly lessened. This leads to the proliferation of arid coastal zones around the Galapagos islands. Thanks to the confluence of these "three rivers" the Mossfells are largely green and full of life.