﻿294 
  ANNUAL 
  EEPOE.T 
  SMITHSONIAIST 
  INSTITUTIOIST, 
  192 
  9 
  

  

  entertained. 
  Formerly 
  it 
  was 
  thought 
  that 
  the 
  Antilles 
  Current 
  

   furnished 
  both 
  the 
  greater 
  quantity 
  of 
  water 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  greater 
  

   quantity 
  of 
  heat 
  transported 
  by 
  the 
  Gulf 
  Stream. 
  Kriimmel, 
  for 
  

   example, 
  credits 
  the 
  Antilles 
  Current 
  with 
  contributing 
  about 
  2^ 
  

   times 
  as 
  much 
  water 
  and 
  heat 
  as 
  the 
  Florida 
  Current. 
  Wtist's 
  study 
  of 
  

   the 
  question, 
  however, 
  makes 
  it 
  appear 
  that 
  the 
  roles 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  cur- 
  

   rents 
  must 
  be 
  reversed; 
  for 
  he 
  finds 
  on 
  the 
  basis 
  of 
  later 
  data, 
  that 
  the 
  

   Florida 
  Current 
  contributes 
  about 
  twice 
  as 
  much 
  water 
  and 
  heat 
  as 
  the 
  

   Antilles 
  Current. 
  

  

  The 
  Antilles 
  Current, 
  like 
  the 
  Florida 
  Current, 
  carries 
  warm, 
  highly 
  

   saline 
  water 
  of 
  clear 
  indigo 
  blue. 
  The 
  union 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  currents 
  gives 
  

   rise 
  to 
  a 
  broad 
  current 
  possessing 
  about 
  the 
  same 
  characteristics 
  as 
  

   the 
  Gulf 
  Stream 
  within 
  the 
  straits 
  except 
  that 
  the 
  velocity 
  is 
  much 
  

   reduced. 
  The 
  combined 
  current, 
  under 
  the 
  influence 
  of 
  the 
  deflecting 
  

   force 
  of 
  the 
  earth's 
  rotation 
  and 
  the 
  easterly 
  trending 
  coast 
  line, 
  turns 
  

   more 
  and 
  more 
  easterly, 
  so 
  that 
  oft' 
  the 
  coast 
  of 
  Georgia 
  the 
  Gulf 
  

   Stream 
  bears 
  northeast, 
  maintaining 
  this 
  general 
  direction 
  past 
  Cape 
  

  

  Hatteras. 
  

  

  THE 
  AXIS 
  OF 
  THE 
  STREAM 
  

  

  From 
  within 
  the 
  straits 
  the 
  axis 
  of 
  the 
  Gulf 
  Stream 
  runs 
  approxi- 
  

   mately 
  parallel 
  with 
  the 
  100-fathom 
  curve 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  Cape 
  Hatteras, 
  a 
  

   distance 
  of 
  about 
  800 
  geographical 
  miles. 
  Since 
  this 
  stretch 
  of 
  coast 
  

   line 
  sweeps 
  northward 
  in 
  a 
  sharper 
  curve 
  than 
  does 
  the 
  100-fathom 
  

   line, 
  the 
  axis 
  lies 
  at 
  varying 
  distances 
  from 
  the 
  shore. 
  Within 
  the 
  

   straits 
  it 
  is 
  about 
  10 
  miles 
  offshore; 
  in 
  the 
  bight 
  off 
  the 
  coast 
  of 
  Georgia 
  

   this 
  distance 
  is 
  about 
  100 
  miles; 
  and 
  at 
  Cape 
  Hatteras 
  it 
  is 
  about 
  35 
  

   miles. 
  In 
  Figure 
  5 
  the 
  axis 
  is 
  shown 
  as 
  compiled 
  from 
  Coast 
  and 
  

   Geodetic 
  Survey 
  Charts 
  1007 
  and 
  1001 
  and 
  Hydrographic 
  Office 
  

   Chart 
  1411. 
  On 
  these 
  charts 
  the 
  axis 
  bears 
  the 
  following 
  legends: 
  

   "approximate 
  axis 
  of 
  maximum 
  strength" 
  (Chart 
  1001); 
  "approxi- 
  

   mate 
  location 
  of 
  axis 
  of 
  Gulf 
  Stream" 
  (Chart 
  1007); 
  "mean 
  position 
  

   of 
  axis 
  of 
  Gulf 
  Stream" 
  (Chart 
  1411). 
  

  

  Even 
  with 
  a 
  qualifying 
  phrase 
  directing 
  attention 
  to 
  the 
  fact 
  

   that 
  its 
  location 
  is 
  only 
  approximate, 
  the 
  axis 
  of 
  the 
  Gulf 
  Stream 
  as 
  it 
  

   appears 
  on 
  a 
  chart 
  tends 
  to 
  convey 
  a 
  sense 
  of 
  definiteness 
  and 
  precision 
  

   wholly 
  at 
  variance 
  with 
  the 
  observed 
  facts. 
  The 
  channel 
  of 
  the 
  Gulf 
  

   Stream 
  is 
  so 
  wide 
  and 
  is 
  characterized 
  by 
  so 
  many 
  irregularities 
  that 
  

   the 
  simple 
  flow 
  postulated 
  can 
  be 
  but 
  the 
  roughest 
  approximation. 
  

  

  Strictly, 
  we 
  should 
  distinguish 
  between 
  the 
  temperature 
  axis 
  and 
  

   the 
  velocity 
  axis 
  of 
  the 
  Gulf 
  Stream. 
  The 
  earlier 
  systematic 
  observa- 
  

   tions 
  on 
  the 
  Gulf 
  Stream 
  dealt 
  with 
  the 
  temperature 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  

   rather 
  than 
  with 
  its 
  motion. 
  Hence 
  the 
  axis 
  was 
  taken 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  

   line 
  along 
  which 
  the 
  highest 
  temperatures 
  obtained. 
  Later, 
  the 
  axis 
  

   was 
  taken 
  to 
  mark 
  the 
  line 
  of 
  greatest 
  velocity. 
  Ordinarily 
  it 
  is 
  

  

  