SUKVEY OF TIDES AND CUERENTS IN CANADIAN WATERS 



This Survey, under the direction of Dr. W. Bell Dawson, F.R.S.C, 

 continues to nuake important contributions to the knowledge of our 

 H des, both on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of Canada. The prin- 

 cipal tidal stations in the St. Lawrence and on the Atlantic, have been 

 maintained in operation, and some progress has been made in the 

 reduction of the results, as far as means have permitted. 



On the Pacific coast, good progress has been made, both in the 

 improvement of the tide tables through the analysis of further tidal 

 record from the principal stations, and also in the establishment of 

 addit^'onal tidal stations, to extend the information available. Obser- 

 vations are being continued at Vancouver, and two new stations have 

 been erected, one in Barkley Sound on the outer side of Vancouver 

 Island, and the other at Port Simpson. It may be noted that on the 

 Pacific coast, there is not only a large diurnal inequality, but also an 

 annual variation. Hence, to make satisfactory comparisons, it is 

 necessary either to have six months of continuous observation at any 

 two localities, or to take four m'onths at the four quarters of the year. 

 The stations for which tide tables are calculated lare Victoria, in Fuca 

 Strait, and Sand Heads in the Strait of Georgia; and these are well 

 situated for purposes of comparison. 



The St. Lawrence. — An important step in advance has been made 

 in the information supplied to aid navigation on the St. Lawrence 

 route. A part of the tidal record from Father Point has been sub- 

 mitted to harmonic analysis which enables tide tables to be calculated 

 directly for that locality. The advantage of this step became appa- 

 rent from the tidal observations of 1900 on the Lower St. Lawrence; 

 as they showed that both tide and current in the open estuary below 

 the Traverse, could better be referred to Father Point than to Quebec. 

 So far, the Father Point tide tables have been calculated indirectly 

 from Quebec, by means of a double series of variable differences. This 

 elaborate method was devised to save the expense of analysis at an 

 additional station. But it has now been ascertained that the com- 

 plicated relation between the two places, is chiefly due to the river 

 influence at the upper end of the run of the tide near Quebec; while 

 the tide in the open estuary itself is very irregular. Hence, the tide 

 tables calculated from the analysis, in conjunction with the other data 

 which has been secured, will enable the turn of the strong tidal cur- 



