﻿THE 
  GULF 
  STREAM 
  MARMER 
  299 
  

  

  from 
  Schott, 
  three 
  characteristics 
  of 
  the 
  currents 
  are 
  indicated. 
  The 
  

   direction 
  of 
  the 
  current 
  at 
  any 
  point 
  is 
  shown 
  by 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  the 
  

   arrow 
  at 
  that 
  point; 
  the 
  strength 
  of 
  the 
  current 
  or 
  its 
  velocity 
  is 
  in- 
  

   dicated 
  by 
  the 
  width 
  of 
  the 
  arrow; 
  and 
  the 
  stabihty 
  of 
  the 
  current 
  is 
  

   indicated 
  by 
  the 
  length 
  of 
  the 
  arrow. 
  The 
  stability 
  of 
  the 
  current 
  at 
  

   any 
  point 
  is 
  expressed 
  as 
  a 
  percentage 
  and 
  is 
  a 
  measure 
  of 
  the 
  constancy 
  

   of 
  direction 
  of 
  the 
  current 
  at 
  that 
  point. 
  The 
  derivation 
  of 
  the 
  

   numerical 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  stability 
  involves 
  technical 
  details 
  ^^ 
  which 
  

   need 
  not 
  detain 
  us 
  here. 
  

  

  In 
  a 
  very 
  real 
  sense 
  the 
  circulation 
  indicated 
  by 
  Figure 
  5 
  constitutes 
  

   a 
  single-current 
  system; 
  for 
  a 
  movement 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  at 
  any 
  point 
  

   implies 
  corresponding 
  movements 
  and 
  return 
  currents 
  at 
  other 
  points, 
  

   all 
  these 
  movements 
  together 
  forming 
  a 
  system 
  of 
  circulation. 
  How- 
  

   ever, 
  the 
  large 
  area 
  covered 
  by 
  the 
  North 
  Atlantic 
  Ocean 
  and 
  more 
  

   particularly 
  the 
  different 
  characteristics 
  of 
  the 
  moving 
  masses 
  of 
  

   water 
  as 
  regards 
  temperature, 
  salinity, 
  and 
  velocity 
  make 
  it 
  convenient 
  

   to 
  designate 
  various 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  system 
  by 
  distinctive 
  names, 
  as 
  for 
  

   example 
  the 
  North 
  Equatorial 
  Current 
  or 
  Canary 
  Current. 
  

  

  Starting 
  at 
  any 
  given 
  point 
  various 
  circuits 
  may 
  be 
  traced 
  on 
  a 
  

   current 
  chart. 
  The 
  one 
  which, 
  under 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  Gulf 
  Stream, 
  we 
  

   have 
  followed 
  from 
  the 
  Straits 
  of 
  Florida 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  the 
  Banks 
  of 
  

   Newfoundland 
  may 
  be 
  traced 
  further 
  eastward 
  and 
  northeastward 
  

   to 
  the 
  coastal 
  waters 
  of 
  northwestern 
  Europe, 
  as 
  shown 
  in 
  Figure 
  6. 
  

   Shall 
  this 
  current 
  circuit 
  from 
  the 
  eastern 
  coast 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  

   to 
  northwestern 
  Europe 
  be 
  designated 
  by 
  the 
  single 
  name 
  Gulf 
  Stream? 
  

   Or 
  shall 
  we 
  limit 
  the 
  name 
  Gulf 
  Stream 
  to 
  the 
  stretch 
  from 
  the 
  Straits 
  

   to 
  the 
  Banks 
  of 
  Newfoundland, 
  since 
  in 
  this 
  stretch 
  the 
  characteristics 
  

   of 
  the 
  current 
  are 
  much 
  the 
  same? 
  If 
  it 
  is 
  the 
  northeasterly 
  transport 
  

   of 
  warm 
  water 
  across 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  that 
  one 
  has 
  in 
  mind, 
  a 
  single 
  name 
  

   like 
  Gulf 
  Stream 
  or 
  North 
  Atlantic 
  Current 
  has 
  many 
  advantages. 
  If, 
  

   however, 
  the 
  causes 
  and 
  details 
  of 
  the 
  movement 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  are 
  

   being 
  studied, 
  the 
  phenomena 
  are 
  more 
  clearly 
  apprehended 
  by 
  

   giving 
  the 
  current 
  eastward 
  of 
  the 
  Banks 
  of 
  Newfoundland 
  some 
  such 
  

   name 
  as 
  Gulf 
  Stream 
  Drift 
  or 
  North 
  Atlantic 
  Drift. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  slow 
  cur- 
  

   rent, 
  the 
  velocity 
  averaging 
  less 
  than 
  half 
  a 
  knot, 
  and 
  its 
  movement 
  

   is 
  due 
  in 
  large 
  part 
  to 
  the 
  westerly 
  winds 
  which 
  prevail 
  over 
  this 
  

   stretch 
  of 
  the 
  ocean. 
  

  

  The 
  validity 
  of 
  the 
  conception 
  underlying 
  the 
  representation 
  of 
  

   the 
  movement 
  of 
  the 
  waters 
  in 
  the 
  Gulf 
  Stream 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  North 
  

   Atlantic 
  Drift 
  by 
  current 
  charts 
  like 
  Figure 
  7 
  has 
  been 
  assailed 
  in 
  

   recent 
  years 
  by 
  Dr. 
  E. 
  Le 
  Danois. 
  In 
  a 
  paper 
  pubhshed 
  in 
  1924 
  ^^ 
  

   he 
  elaborates 
  the 
  thesis 
  that 
  the 
  movement 
  of 
  the 
  waters 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  " 
  Kriimmel, 
  op. 
  cit., 
  Vol. 
  2, 
  p. 
  441. 
  

  

  '8 
  E. 
  Le 
  Danois: 
  Etude 
  hydrologique 
  de 
  I'Atlantique-Nord, 
  Annates 
  Inst. 
  Oceanographique, 
  Vol. 
  1 
  

   CN. 
  S.), 
  pp. 
  1-52 
  ,1924. 
  

  

  