A STUDY OF THE SALINITY OF THE SURFACE WATER 



IN THE NORTH PACIFIC OCEAN AND IN 



THE ADJACENT ENCLOSED SEAS 



By AUSTIN HOBART CLARK 

 CONTENTS 



PAGE 



Preface i 



The limits of error in the observations 4 



The rejection of inaccurate readings 5 



Calculation of the constant representing the instrumental error 6 



Brief resume of the conditions found in the North Pacific 9 



Meteorological conditions tending to lower the salinity of the Pacific, while 



increasing the salinity of the Atlantic 15 



The seasonal variation in the salinity of the water off the Californian 



Coast 15 



The Bering Sea 17 



Synopsis of the salinity observations taken during the 1906 cruise of the 



" Albatross " 19 



Narrative 21 



An observation on the intermingling of river and ocean water 24 



Comparison of figures with those previously published 24 



PREFACE 



During the 1906 cruise of the United States Fisheries steamer 

 " Albatross " in the North Pacific Ocean and in the Bering, Okhotsk, 

 Japan, and Eastern Seas, I devoted considerable attention to 

 the question of the salinity of the water through which the ship 

 passed. Though much has been accomplished, thanks chiefly to the 

 activity of the Russian Admiralty, in the working out of the con- 

 ditions along the Asiatic shores and, thanks to the ships of the 

 German merchant marine, both steam and sail, in the elucidation of 

 the conditions from Seattle southward, very little has been done on 

 the American side north of Puget Sound and in the Bering Sea; 

 therefore particular pains were taken to make the records for this 

 area especially complete. 



Water specimens were taken by the quartermaster at 8 a. m. and 

 at 8 p. m., and at once put into 18 oz. crown glass bottles which 



Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections, Vol. 60, No. 13 



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