1G8 



FISHING-GKOUNDS OF NORTH AMERICA. 



(xULF OF Maine. — Cousidorable (liffeieiico.s occur in the iiiaxiinnui.s of both aii' ami .surface 

 temperatures at the several stations iu the Gulf of Maine. Aside from Thatcher's Island, the high- 

 est air maximum is 75o.5, at Mount Desert Rock, the lowest 05°, atMatiuicus Rockj the highest 

 water maximum i.s 62°, at Boon Island, the lowest 54°, at Matinicus Rock. As to the surface 

 curves, Boon Island agrees most closely with Pollock Rip and Nantucket New Soutli Shoal, while 

 Matiuicus Rock and Mount Desert Rock afford the lowest surface maximums of any of the stations 

 on the entii'e coast. 



Tabic showing llie miiiimuni, and maximum temperatures of the air and surface water, and the ranges of air and surface temper- 

 ature at the light-house stations, for the five years from 1881 to 1885, inclusive. 



Stations.^ 



Petit il.in.in Island, Me 



Mount Desert Rock, Me 



Matinicu3 Kock, Me 



Seguin Island, Me 



Boon Island, Mo 



Thatcher's Island, Mass 



Pollock Hip, Mags 



N'antiicket X. S. Shoal, Mass. 



Vineyard Sound, Mass 



Brenton's Reef, K. I 



Block Island, R.I 



Fire Island, N. T 



Satidy Hook, N. T 



Absccon Inlet, N. .J 



Five-Fathom Bank, N. J 



Winter Quarter Shoal, Va 



Body's Island, N. C. 



Cape Lookout, N. C 



Frying Pan Shoals, K. C 



Eattlemake Shoal, S.C 



Martin's Industry, S. C 



Fowey Rocks, Fla 



Carysfort Reof, Fla 



Tortugas, Fla 



Pt-riod. 



Air temperature. 



Minimam. Maximum. Range. 



March 1 to January 1 . 



do 



do 



, do 



, do 



Entire year 



March 1 to January 1 . 



Entire year 



March 1 to January 1 . 



do 



, do 



do 



do 



do 



do 



do 



Entire year 



do... 



do 



do 



do 



do 



do 



do 



o p, 

 20 



24 



52.5 



30 



27 



20 



28.5 



29 



22 



.^5 



31.5 



33 



36.5 



33 



43 



44 



45.5 



45 



68 



05.5 



67 



o p, 



■?o 



75.5 



05 



70.5 



73.5 



78.5 



66 



C9 



71.5 



74.5 



79 



83.5 



81.5 



79.5 



83.5 



81 



91 



84 



85 



86. 5 



81 

 88.5 



50 



50 



42 



40.5 



51 



48.5 



39 



43 



43 



45.5 



57 



48.5 



50 



40.5 



47 



48 



04 



41 



41 



41 



41.5 



18 



18.5 



21.5 



Surface temperature. 



Minimum. Maximom. Range. 



o F, 



31 



33 



32.5 



33 



33 



33 



3'2 



33.3 



31 



34 



aa. 5 



33 

 33 



34. 5 

 37 



35. 5 

 28 

 42 

 49.5 

 47 

 47 

 70 

 71.5 

 05. 5 



" F. 

 58.5 



54.5 



54 



58 



62 



07 



02.5 



62 



08 



09 



70.5 



75 



74.3 



79.5 



70 



70.5 



91 



84 



82.5 



85 



85 



80.5 



80.5 



86 



°F. 



27.5 

 21.6 

 21.5 

 2,', 



•:!> 



3> 



30.5 



28.5 



37 



33 



41 



40 



41.5 



45 



39 



41 



63 



42 



33 



38 



38 



10.3 



15 



20.5 



*The names of light-ships are printed iu italics. 



RELATIONS OF THE TEMPEKATUUE CURVES. 



A comparison of the temperature curves for corresponding years at successive stations shows 

 great uniformity in their relative positions and also in those irregularities which are indicative of 

 more or less rapid changes of temperature. This uniformity often extends to stations that are 

 widely separated or differently situated. Between January 20 and April 10, 1881, there were three 

 separate periods during 'which the temperature fell below the average for that time of year at the 

 .southern stations. These several jieriods of low temperature are well brought out for both the air 

 and surface by marked deflections in the curves beginning at the Tortugas and extending as fiir 

 as Body's Island, tlie most northern station at which the temi>eiatnre observations have been 

 plotted for January and l'"ebruary. North of F.ody's Island, the last of these three period;;, occur- 

 ring between March 21 and A])ril 10, can be traced as far as tlie Gulf of Maine, although at the 

 northern stations the temi)erature at that time was not always lower than in otheryears. Again, 

 between November 10 and December IC, 1882, another innisually cold si)cll is indicated on all \he 

 charts from the Tortugasto the Gulf of IMaine. Manvother indicalions of contbrmity luMween the 



