词条 | Gibraltar, Strait of |
释义 | Gibraltar, Strait of channel Latin Fretum Herculeum, ![]() The winds in the strait tend to be either easterly or westerly. Shallow cold-air masses, invading the western Mediterranean from the north, often stream through as a low-level, high-speed easterly wind, known locally as a levanter. There is also a significant exchange of water through the strait. A two-knot surface current flows eastward through the centre of the channel, except when affected by easterly winds. This surface movement exceeds a westward flow of heavier, colder, and more saline water, which takes place below a depth of about 400 feet (122 m). Thus, only the existence of the strait prevents the Mediterranean from becoming a shrinking salt lake. The Pillars of Hercules marked the western end of the classical world. Of great strategic and economic importance, the strait was used by many early Atlantic voyagers and has continued to be vital to southern Europe, northern Africa, and western Asia as a shipping route. Much of the area's history involved rivalry over control of the Rock of Gibraltar. |
随便看 |
|
百科全书收录100133条中英文百科知识,基本涵盖了大多数领域的百科知识,是一部内容开放、自由的电子版百科全书。