Which current encircles Antarctica and is driven by westerly winds?

• A. Canary Current
• B. Antarctic Circumpolar Current (West Wind Drift)
• C. Eastern Boundary Current
• D. Contour Current

Answer: (B)

Westerly winds in the Southern Ocean drive a powerful, eastward flow that circles Antarctica, forming a continuous belt around the continent. This is the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, also called the West Wind Drift. It’s unique because it encircles the globe and links the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans, keeping Antarctic waters isolated and enabling vast horizontal mixing at the surface. By contrast, the Canary Current is a northern Atlantic current driven by trade winds; Eastern Boundary Currents run along the eastern sides of oceans toward the equator, and Contour Currents follow underwater topography along depth contours rather than circling a continent.