﻿THE 
  GULP 
  STREAM 
  MARMER 
  297 
  

  

  number 
  of 
  bands. 
  This 
  is 
  most 
  clearly 
  evidenced 
  by 
  the 
  juxtaposi- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  warm 
  and 
  cold 
  bands 
  of 
  water 
  of 
  varying 
  widths. 
  This 
  feature 
  

   is 
  also 
  noted 
  below 
  Cape 
  Hatteras 
  but 
  not 
  in 
  so 
  marked 
  a 
  degree. 
  

  

  North 
  of 
  Cape 
  Hatteras 
  the 
  Gulf 
  Stream 
  flows 
  with 
  a 
  velocity 
  

   averaging 
  a 
  little 
  less 
  than 
  a 
  knot, 
  turning 
  more 
  and 
  more 
  eastward 
  

   under 
  the 
  combined 
  effects 
  of 
  the 
  deflecting 
  force 
  of 
  the 
  earth's 
  rota- 
  

   tion 
  and 
  the 
  eastwardly 
  trending 
  coast 
  line, 
  until 
  the 
  region 
  of 
  the 
  

   Grand 
  Bank 
  of 
  Newfoundland 
  is 
  reached. 
  Here 
  it 
  comes 
  into 
  conflict 
  

   with 
  the 
  southerly 
  flowing 
  Labrador 
  Current 
  which 
  carries 
  cold 
  water 
  

   of 
  relatively 
  low 
  salinity. 
  

  

  THE 
  COLD 
  WALL 
  

  

  At 
  an 
  early 
  stage 
  of 
  the 
  investigations 
  it 
  was 
  found 
  that 
  on 
  its 
  

   western 
  or 
  inner 
  side 
  the 
  Gulf 
  Stream 
  was 
  separated 
  from 
  the 
  coastal 
  

   waters 
  by 
  a 
  zone 
  of 
  rapidly 
  falling 
  temperature, 
  to 
  which 
  the 
  term 
  

   ''cold 
  wall" 
  was 
  applied. 
  It 
  is 
  most 
  clearly 
  marked 
  north 
  of 
  Cape 
  

   Hatteras 
  but 
  extends, 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  well 
  defined, 
  from 
  the 
  straits 
  to 
  

   the 
  Banks 
  of 
  Newfoundland. 
  The 
  abrupt 
  change 
  in 
  the 
  temperature 
  

   of 
  the 
  waters 
  separated 
  by 
  the 
  cold 
  wall 
  is 
  frequently 
  very 
  striking. 
  

   Ward 
  refers 
  to 
  an 
  occasion 
  in 
  1922 
  when 
  the 
  U. 
  S. 
  Coast 
  Guard 
  cutter 
  

   Tampa, 
  which 
  is 
  about 
  240 
  feet 
  long, 
  was 
  placed 
  directly 
  across 
  the 
  

   cold 
  wall, 
  and 
  the 
  temperature 
  of 
  the 
  sea 
  at 
  the 
  bow 
  was 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  

   34° 
  while 
  at 
  the 
  stern 
  it 
  was 
  56°.^* 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  the 
  Banks 
  of 
  Newfoundland 
  the 
  cold 
  wall 
  rep- 
  

   resents 
  the 
  dividing 
  line 
  between 
  the 
  warm 
  waters 
  of 
  the 
  Gulf 
  Stream 
  

   and 
  the 
  cold 
  waters 
  of 
  the 
  Labrador 
  Current; 
  and 
  it 
  seemed 
  reasona- 
  

   ble 
  to 
  invoke 
  the 
  cold 
  waters 
  of 
  this 
  current 
  in 
  explaining 
  the 
  existence 
  

   of 
  the 
  cold 
  wall 
  and 
  the 
  relatively 
  low 
  temperatures 
  of 
  the 
  coastal 
  

   waters 
  to 
  the 
  southward 
  and 
  westward. 
  It 
  was 
  largely 
  on 
  this 
  account 
  

   that 
  the 
  waters 
  of 
  the 
  Labrador 
  Current 
  were 
  assumed 
  to 
  flow 
  all 
  

   along 
  the 
  eastern 
  coast 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States. 
  

  

  Recent 
  observations, 
  however, 
  do 
  not 
  bear 
  out 
  this 
  explanation. 
  

   Current 
  observation 
  on 
  various 
  light 
  vessels 
  along 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  coast 
  

   of 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  made 
  in 
  recent 
  years 
  by 
  the 
  Coast 
  and 
  Geodetic 
  

   Survey 
  give 
  no 
  evidence 
  of 
  a 
  predominant 
  southerly 
  movement 
  of 
  the 
  

   water 
  along 
  the 
  coast. 
  From 
  the 
  observations 
  made 
  by 
  the 
  Inter- 
  

   national 
  Ice 
  Patrol, 
  Smith 
  concludes 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  southwest 
  flow 
  

   of 
  the 
  Labrador 
  Current 
  across 
  the 
  Great 
  Bank, 
  but 
  that 
  it 
  "turns 
  

   sharply, 
  between 
  parallels 
  42 
  and 
  43 
  and 
  meridians 
  51 
  and 
  52, 
  to 
  flow 
  

   easterly, 
  parallel 
  with 
  the 
  Gulf 
  Stream.'"^ 
  In 
  his 
  study 
  of 
  the 
  Gulf 
  

   of 
  Maine, 
  Bigelow 
  gave 
  careful 
  consideration 
  to 
  this 
  question. 
  His 
  

  

  » 
  R. 
  DeC. 
  Ward: 
  A 
  Cruise 
  with 
  the 
  International 
  Ice 
  Patrol, 
  Geogr. 
  Rev., 
  vol. 
  14, 
  pp. 
  50-61; 
  1924. 
  ref- 
  

   erence 
  on 
  p. 
  54. 
  

  

  » 
  Edward 
  11. 
  Smith: 
  Oceanographic 
  Summary, 
  in 
  "International 
  Ice 
  Observation 
  and 
  Ice 
  Patrol 
  Service 
  

   in 
  the 
  North 
  Atlantic 
  Ocean, 
  Season 
  of 
  1922," 
  U. 
  S. 
  Coast 
  Guard 
  Bull. 
  No. 
  10, 
  pp. 
  93-97; 
  Washington, 
  1923, 
  

   reference 
  on 
  p. 
  97. 
  

  

  