Knowledge of winds and currents was essential in maritime travel. Sailors in the Indian Ocean developed an understanding of the winds and currents there beginning in the Pre-Modern Period. Atlantic winds and currents however remained a mystery until Europeans started navigating through it in the Early Modern Period.
Click the BELOW to see an animated world map of the world's ocean currents:
Click the BELOW to see an animated world map of the world's ocean currents:
Indian Ocean Winds and Currents
Monsoon Winds: the seasonal winds and currents of the Indian Ocean, blowing from the southwest in summer and from the northeast in winter. These winds and currents are very predictable. As a result, sailors in the Indian Ocean world figured them out well before the Pre-Modern Period. Knowledge of Monsoon winds and current patterns allowed Southeast Asian and Indian sailors to navigating Indian Ocean waters as early as 100 BCE. Europeans learned of these winds to help them travel and trade.
Atlantic Ocean Winds and Currents
Unlike the seasonal winds of the Indian Ocean, the winds and currents in the Atlantic Ocean spun in giant gyres all year long. In the North Atlantic, the westerlies blow northeast while the trade winds blow southwest to create the Northern Gyre which spun clockwise. In the South Atlantic, the Southern Gyre spins counterclockwise.
These winds are much more complicated than Indian Ocean winds and so took European sailors longer to figure out.
These winds are much more complicated than Indian Ocean winds and so took European sailors longer to figure out.