What is the name of the ocean current that brings warm water to the west coast of Europe?

The North Atlantic Current is the ocean current that carries warm water toward the west coast of Europe. It is a powerful, relatively warm continuation of the Gulf Stream and forms part of the broader North Atlantic circulation system.

After the Gulf Stream travels northeastward from the western Atlantic, it continues as the North Atlantic Current across the ocean. Its heat release into the atmosphere helps moderate the climates of Ireland, Britain, Iceland, and parts of western and northern Europe, making them milder than other regions at similar latitudes.

The current is driven by a combination of wind, Earth’s rotation, and differences in water temperature and salinity. It is often described alongside the North Atlantic Drift, a broader and sometimes less precisely defined extension of the same warm-water transport. The Gulf Stream is not the best name for this European-bound segment, although it is the current’s source and is commonly confused with it.