One of the western boundary currents of the North Atlantic subtropical gyre. A deep, narrow, and swift current, it originates from the Loop Current of the Gulf of Mexico. It enters the Atlantic Ocean through the Florida Straits with a transport of 30 Sv (30 × 106 m3 s−1) and speeds of 1. 8 m s−1 and follows the coast northward for 1200 km to Cape Hatteras (35°N). Input from the Antilles Current and entrainment from the Gulf Stream recirculation in the Sargasso Sea increase its transport to 70–100 Sv (70–100 × 106 m3 s−1) before it leaves the coast at Cape Hatteras to continue as the Gulf Stream.