Gulf Stream Current

The Gulf Stream Current is one of the most formidable and defining natural phenomena encountered during the Nautilus's underwater voyage. It is not merely a current but a vast, independent oceanic river that flows through the Atlantic, with its own distinct banks, temperature, and marine life. For Captain Nemo and his passengers, the Gulf Stream represents both a highway for rapid travel and a stage for nature's most violent displays, culminating in a hurricane that tests the Nautilus's resilience to its limits.

Definition and Physical Characteristics

The Gulf Stream is described as a genuine river within the ocean, its waters never mixing with the surrounding sea. It is saltier than the ocean and maintains a consistent average depth of 3,000 feet and a width of sixty miles. Its current moves at a speed of four kilometers per hour, and its unchanging volume of water is greater than that of all the world's rivers combined. The current's true source, as discovered by Commander Maury, is located in the Bay of Biscay, where its waters, initially weak in temperature and color, begin to form. From there, it travels south, skirts equatorial Africa, warms in the Torrid Zone, crosses the Atlantic, and reaches Cape São Roque on the coast of Brazil. It then forks into two branches, one of which goes to the Caribbean Sea to become further saturated with heat. After attaining a white heat in the Gulf of Mexico, it heads north up the American coast, advances to Newfoundland, and is then deflected by a cold current from the Davis Strait. It resumes its course along a great circle of the earth, dividing again near the 43rd parallel, with one arm returning to the Bay of Biscay and the Azores, and the other washing the shores of Ireland and Norway with lukewarm water, eventually fashioning the open sea at the pole.

The Nautilus's Journey on the Gulf Stream

The Nautilus enters the Gulf Stream after leaving Old Bahama Channel, which is fourteen leagues wide and 350 meters deep. The current moves at a rate of eight kilometers per hour, and its speed steadily decreases as it advances northward. The Nautilus's spur cuts the waves of the Gulf Stream while its propeller churns those of the surrounding ocean, demonstrating the distinct boundary between the two bodies of water. The current's water temperature is barely different from human blood temperature, and it acts as a huge heat generator that enables the coasts of Europe to be decked in eternal greenery. The Gulf Stream's waters are murky and very rich in saline material, their pure indigo contrasting with the green waves surrounding them. The current sweeps along a whole host of moving creatures, including argonauts, rays, and various sharks. During the night, the Gulf Stream's phosphorescent waters rival the electric glow of the Nautilus's beacon, especially in the stormy weather that frequently threatens the ship.

The Storm and the Gulf Stream's Power

The Gulf Stream lives up to its nickname, the Lord of Storms, as it creates fearsome cyclones through the difference in temperature between its currents and the superimposed layers of air. The storm bursts during the daytime of May 13, just as the Nautilus is cruising abreast of Long Island. The wind blows from the southwest, initially a stiff breeze at fifteen meters per second, building to twenty-five meters near three o'clock in the afternoon. The hurricane is unleashed at a speed of forty-five meters per second, almost forty leagues per hour. The Nautilus, sometimes lying on its side, sometimes standing on end like a mast, rolls and pitches frightfully. Captain Nemo, lashed around the waist, stations himself on the platform to face the storm head-on. The waves measure up to fifteen meters in height over a length of 150 to 175 meters, and their utmost pressure can build to 3,000 kilograms on every square foot of surface they strike. After nightfall, the storm grows in intensity, with the barometer falling to 710 millimeters. The skies catch on fire, streaked with violent flashes of lightning. The rain is followed by a downpour of fire, and the Nautilus rears its steel spur into the air like a lightning rod. Shattered and at the end of his strength, Professor Aronnax slides below to the lounge. Captain Nemo reenters near midnight, and the Nautilus sinks beneath the surface of the waves, finding tranquility and peace at fifty meters down, while a dreadful hurricane rages on the surface above.

Narrative and Thematic Significance

The Gulf Stream serves as a crucial narrative device, propelling the Nautilus northward and bringing the passengers closer to the possibility of escape. It is during this leg of the journey that Ned Land, seeing the shores of his homeland, becomes desperate and insists on confronting Captain Nemo about their freedom. The Gulf Stream's violent storm also provides a dramatic climax, showcasing the Nautilus's engineering prowess and Captain Nemo's indomitable will. The storm forces the submarine to submerge, delaying any escape attempt and reinforcing the passengers' imprisonment. The Gulf Stream is thus more than a geographical feature; it is a dynamic, living entity that shapes the course of the voyage, tests the characters, and underscores the novel's themes of nature's power and human vulnerability.