HYDR0L0GY:0F THE SOUTH ATLANTIC 189 



If it is caused by the Brazil current the strength of the southerly component will decrease 

 towards the south and Antarctic surface water will still sink below the surface at the 

 Antarctic convergence. 



As it leaves the Drake Passage the Bellingshausen Sea current is joined on its right- 

 hand side by the Weddell Sea current. This current has its origin in water which has 

 drifted south and west across the Atlantic Ocean south of 66° S under the influence of 

 the easterly winds. This drift towards the west into the Weddell Sea, shown far south 

 in Fig. 8, is turned northwards at the east coast of Graham Land, and finally flows out 

 of the north of the sea past the South Orkney Islands. Part of it flows northwards towards 

 the Shag Rocks, but most of it turns more eastwards under the influence of the westerly 

 winds. A httle turns westwards round the northern end of Graham Land into the Bransfield 

 Strait, as has been mentioned earlier. The principal part of the current flowing east and 

 north-east spreads out across the eastern half of the Scotia Sea. East of South Georgia 

 it follows the lines of equal depth, and after crossing the ridge joining South Georgia 

 to the South Sandwich Islands, part turns towards the west along the edge of the con- 

 tinental shelf east of South Georgia. It meets the Bellingshausen Sea water, which 

 flows towards the western end of the island, and is turned back to the east. Then, with 

 the rest of the current, it flows eastwards across the Atlantic. Even as far east as the 

 longitude of the Cape of Good Hope Weddell Sea water can be distinguished on the 

 surface as a cold current by a minimum temperature between 55 and 56° S. North of 

 the minimum temperature is warmer water, which is the remains of the Bellingshausen 

 Sea water, and south of it warmer water which is falling away into the drift towards 

 the south-west. 



Between the drift into the Weddell Sea and the Weddell Sea current flowing out of it, 

 there is a cyclonic water movement with a long zonal axis. The axis lies between about 

 63 and 65° S, probably nearer to 63° S, and it seems to be several degrees north of the 

 latitude in which easterly and westerly winds are equally prevalent. The path of the 

 cyclonic movement in the western part of the Weddell Sea is shown by the drifts of the 

 'Endurance', and the 'Deutschland', whilst they were beset in the ice, both of which 

 have been charted by Brennecke (1921, pi. ii). There seems to be only this one movement 

 in the South Atlantic and not the two cyclonic movements shown by Meyer (1923) in 

 40° W and 30° E. The centre of the cyclonic movement is also about 5 or 6° farther 

 north than shown by Meyer. 



In Fig. II (p. 191) an attempt is made to show approximately the boundary between 

 the water from the Bellingshausen Sea and that from the Weddell Sea. It must be re- 

 membered, however, that along the boundary there is certain to be considerable mixing 

 between the two waters, since they are so similar, and the position of the boundary will 

 vary from the mean approximately indicated in Fig. 1 1 . Each season's observations must 

 be examined separately when a more accurate position is needed, and a position decided 

 from the small differences between the two waters which will be described later in this 

 report (p. 198). South Georgia lies in the path of both currents and is influenced to a 

 certain extent by both of them. The Bellingshausen Sea water is predominant west of 



