66 ANNUAL EECOKD OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY. 



THE TEMPERATUEE OF THE SEA. 



Observations on the temperature of the sea have been made 

 at Falmouth, England, continually since the autumn of 1871. 

 It was at first proj^osed to make the observations about the 

 time of high water in Falmouth harbor, it being thought 

 that, owing to the great extent and depth of the harbor, the 

 influence of the shore would not be felt when the water had 

 freshly come in from the open sea. But it soon became ap- 

 parent that results obtained in the harbor and near the shore 

 were worthless. Experiments proved that differences of sev- 

 eral degrees of temperature existed within very small limits 

 of space; and Mr. Dymond, by whom the observations had 

 been made, states that he has reason to think that obser- 

 vations on the temperature of the sea are, in general, of little 

 or no value unless they are made from a vessel considerably 

 outside of low-water mark. It was therefore determined, with- 

 in a few months after the observations were begun, to make 

 them in the open sea, at distances varying from half a mile 

 to three or more miles from the nearest land. During the 

 three years 1872, 3, and 4 observations were made on 747 

 days; and the mean of all these readings is 53.23, while 

 the mean of the 36 highest and 36 lowest monthly readings 

 is 53.25. The monthly range of the sea temperatures va- 

 ried from 2 in March to 6.5 in July. The importance of 

 raakins; similar investi2:ations at other stations where sea tem- 

 peratures are systematically observed is forcibly suggested 

 by this result of Mr. Dymond's studies, and it is evidently 

 highly desirable that the light -ships stationed along our 

 coasts should be utilized, whenever possible, for the purpose 

 of observing sea temperatures. Forty-second Annual Hep. 

 Royal Cornwall Pol. Society^ p. 105. 



OEIGIN or YOLCAISriC ASHES. 



Professor Von Roth communicates to the Berlin Academy 

 of Sciences an investisration into the orifjin of the volcanic 

 ashes that fell in Scandinavia on the 29th and 30th of March. 

 He shows that these were the product of the great volcanic 

 outbreak in the eastern half of Iceland at Yatua, as well as in 

 the Dynqu Mountains. 3Ionatsber. Berlin Acad, der Wiss., 

 1875,256. 



