﻿THE 
  OCEAN 
  CURRENT 
  CALLED 
  "THE 
  CHILD" 
  

  

  By 
  Eijot 
  G. 
  Meaes 
  

   Stanford 
  University, 
  California 
  

  

  [With 
  2 
  plates] 
  

  

  Every 
  year 
  about 
  Christmas 
  time, 
  a 
  hot 
  current 
  swings 
  inshore 
  

   along 
  southern 
  Ecuador 
  and 
  northern 
  Peru. 
  Because 
  this 
  is 
  the 
  

   season 
  of 
  the 
  Christ 
  Child, 
  the 
  devout 
  inhabitants 
  of 
  the 
  region 
  have 
  

   named 
  it 
  "The 
  Child" 
  (El 
  Nino). 
  Its 
  location, 
  and 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  

   great 
  Humboldt 
  (Peru) 
  Current, 
  are 
  shown 
  on 
  the 
  accompanying 
  

   maps. 
  

  

  Ordinarily 
  the 
  coasts 
  of 
  southern 
  Ecuador, 
  Peru, 
  and 
  northern 
  Chile 
  

   are 
  dry 
  ; 
  they 
  even 
  lack 
  sufficient 
  quantities 
  of 
  drinking 
  water. 
  This 
  

   aridity 
  is 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  usual 
  dominance 
  the 
  year 
  round 
  of 
  the 
  cool 
  

   Humboldt 
  Current. 
  The 
  Humboldt 
  is 
  cool 
  because 
  of 
  the 
  almost 
  

   continuous 
  upwelling 
  near 
  shore. 
  The 
  California 
  Current 
  is 
  cool 
  

   for 
  the 
  same 
  reason 
  in 
  summer, 
  the 
  season 
  when 
  California 
  is 
  also 
  

   dry. 
  Except 
  when 
  a 
  warm 
  stream 
  or 
  wedge 
  invades 
  or 
  pushes 
  its 
  

   waters 
  away 
  from 
  the 
  shore, 
  the 
  area 
  affected 
  by 
  the 
  Humboldt 
  Cur- 
  

   rent 
  is 
  arid 
  throughout 
  the 
  year. 
  

  

  To 
  inhabitants 
  of 
  both 
  land 
  and 
  sea, 
  the 
  unforeseen 
  intrusion 
  of 
  hot 
  

   sea 
  water 
  is 
  a 
  phenomenon 
  with 
  extremely 
  disastrous 
  consequences, 
  

   for 
  people 
  and 
  property 
  located 
  on 
  this 
  section 
  of 
  Pacific 
  South 
  

   America 
  are 
  habitually 
  protected 
  from 
  dry 
  but 
  not 
  from 
  wet 
  weather. 
  

   Their 
  houses 
  are 
  built 
  largely 
  of 
  adobe 
  bricks 
  made 
  from 
  native 
  clay 
  

   and 
  grasses. 
  Their 
  water 
  supply 
  comes 
  chiefly 
  from 
  the 
  melting 
  

   snows 
  in 
  the 
  high 
  Andes, 
  or 
  from 
  the 
  fog 
  and 
  mists 
  of 
  the 
  coast 
  

   ranges. 
  Their 
  farms 
  are 
  situated 
  in 
  the 
  river 
  valleys 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  

   sides 
  of 
  slopes 
  laid 
  out 
  in 
  numerous 
  terraces. 
  Their 
  railroads 
  are 
  

   placed 
  along 
  or 
  across 
  these 
  elevations. 
  In 
  short, 
  here 
  is 
  a 
  desert 
  

   economy 
  in 
  a 
  region 
  of 
  pronounced 
  land 
  relief. 
  

  

  So 
  long 
  as 
  the 
  northward-flowing 
  Humboldt 
  Current 
  with 
  its 
  up- 
  

   welling 
  remains 
  continuous 
  and 
  strong, 
  kept 
  so 
  by 
  south 
  and 
  south- 
  

   east 
  winds, 
  and 
  while 
  the 
  equatorial 
  low-pressure 
  area 
  keeps 
  its 
  ac- 
  

   customed 
  place 
  along 
  the 
  Equator, 
  difficult 
  weather 
  problems 
  in 
  

   Peru 
  and 
  northern 
  Chile 
  do 
  not 
  exist. 
  There 
  are 
  no 
  storms. 
  In- 
  

  

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