Direction of the Wind, Neio Haven, Comi. 



289 



nary and seven degrees more westerly in February. In Marcli the 

 resemblance of the two curves is not quite so close, but the mean 

 direction for the two stations is identically the same. 



We thus see that for the six colder months of the year the curves 

 at the two stations are quite similar, but there is a difference in the 

 mean direction of the wind, which changes from month to month with 

 such regularity that we cannot ascribe it to errors of observation. 

 This will appear from the following table, in which column second 

 shows the average difference in the direction of the wind at New 

 Haven and Wallingford for each of these six months, and column 

 third shows the differences between the numbers in column second. 



Difference. 



October, 



November, 



December, 



January, 



February, . . 



March, 



The regularity in the change of direction at the two stations is so 

 great, as to indicate the operation of some physical law. Can these 

 differences be reconciled with the explanation of the winds at Wal- 

 lingford, given on page 249 ? It is somewhat hazardous to express 

 an opinion upon this subject until we have observations from a 

 sufficient number of stations to enable us to eliminate the effects due 

 to purely local causes. We might expect that since New Haven is 

 nearer to the ocean than Wallingford, the deflecting influence due to 

 the warmer temperature of the ocean would be stronger at New 

 Haven than at Wallingford, whereas the observations seem to indicate 

 that during the winter months the contrary is true. The following ex- 

 planation of these seeming anomalies is suggested: 1st, the Gulf Stream 

 exerts an influence upon the direction of the winds in the vicinity 

 of New Haven, which is more powerful than that of the nearer but 

 cooler ocean ; 2nd, the dirterence in the distances of the Gulf Stream 

 from New Haven and Wallingford is so small that this cause ought 

 to operate Avith sensibly the same energy at both stations; hut .'3rd, 

 New Haven is situated in a basin near the level of the sea, while 

 WallingfoT'd is elevated about 130 feet above the sea, and has a very 

 free exposure. The winds at New Haven are therefore frequently 

 mere surface winds of limited extent, Avhile those at Wallingford 

 correspond more nearly with the general drift of the atmosphere in 

 this region. 



