﻿THE 
  GULF 
  STREAM 
  MARMER 
  305 
  

  

  and 
  now 
  and 
  again 
  schemes 
  are 
  seriously 
  proposed 
  to 
  change 
  the 
  course 
  

   of 
  the 
  Stream 
  with 
  a 
  view 
  to 
  moderating 
  the 
  winter 
  climate 
  of 
  our 
  

   Northeastern 
  States. 
  

  

  A 
  mom^ent's 
  consideration 
  is 
  sufficient 
  to 
  show 
  that 
  the 
  direct 
  

   influence 
  of 
  the 
  Gulf 
  Stream 
  on 
  the 
  climate 
  of 
  the 
  greater 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  

   eastern 
  coast 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  is 
  altogether 
  negligible. 
  For, 
  aside 
  

   from 
  latitude, 
  our 
  climate 
  depends 
  mostly 
  on 
  the 
  direction 
  from 
  which 
  

   the 
  winds 
  come 
  and 
  the 
  force 
  with 
  which 
  they 
  blow. 
  In 
  winter 
  the 
  

   winds 
  along 
  the 
  northeastern 
  coast 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  are 
  prevailingly 
  

   from 
  the 
  northwest, 
  that 
  is 
  from 
  the 
  land. 
  Hence 
  the 
  warm 
  waters 
  

   of 
  the 
  Gulf 
  Stream 
  lying 
  several 
  hundred 
  miles 
  to 
  the 
  leeward 
  can 
  in 
  

   no 
  way 
  moderate 
  our 
  winter 
  climate. 
  

  

  These 
  considerations 
  are 
  sufficient 
  also 
  to 
  prove 
  the 
  absurdity 
  

   of 
  the 
  proposals 
  for 
  changing 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  the 
  Gulf 
  Stream 
  in 
  the 
  

   interests 
  of 
  a 
  more 
  equable 
  climate. 
  Furthermore, 
  the 
  forces 
  that 
  

   give 
  rise 
  to 
  the 
  Gulf 
  Stream 
  are 
  of 
  such 
  magnitude 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  not 
  

   yet 
  amenable 
  to 
  control 
  by 
  man. 
  But 
  even 
  if 
  the 
  Gulf 
  Stream 
  could 
  

   be 
  brought 
  nearer 
  our 
  shores, 
  the 
  climate 
  could 
  be 
  moderated 
  only 
  if 
  

   the 
  winter 
  winds 
  could 
  be 
  made 
  to 
  blow 
  from 
  the 
  south 
  or 
  the 
  south- 
  

   east. 
  

  

  Indeed, 
  there 
  are 
  good 
  reasons 
  for 
  believing 
  that 
  if 
  the 
  Gulf 
  Stream 
  

   were 
  to 
  shift 
  closer 
  to 
  the 
  coast 
  the 
  climate 
  of 
  our 
  Northeastern 
  States 
  

   would 
  become 
  more 
  extreme 
  rather 
  than 
  moderated 
  — 
  colder 
  and 
  more 
  

   stormy 
  in 
  winter, 
  hotter 
  and 
  more 
  humid 
  in 
  summer. 
  For, 
  with 
  warm 
  

   air 
  near 
  the 
  coast 
  in 
  winter, 
  a 
  greater 
  flow 
  of 
  air 
  from 
  the 
  northwest 
  

   would 
  result, 
  bringing 
  severer 
  storms 
  and 
  colder 
  weather. 
  In 
  summer, 
  

   the 
  winds 
  along 
  the 
  coast 
  are 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  sea 
  breezes, 
  bringing 
  the 
  

   cooler 
  air 
  from 
  the 
  sea 
  to 
  moderate 
  the 
  heat. 
  With 
  warmer 
  air 
  nearer 
  

   shore, 
  the 
  sea 
  breezes 
  would 
  become 
  weaker 
  and 
  less 
  frequent, 
  thus 
  

   giving 
  wider 
  scope 
  for 
  the 
  hot 
  land 
  winds. 
  

  

  While 
  the 
  moderating 
  effect 
  of 
  the 
  Gulf 
  Stream 
  on 
  the 
  climate 
  of 
  

   North 
  America 
  is 
  negligible, 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  question 
  as 
  to 
  its 
  beneficent 
  

   effects 
  on 
  the 
  climate 
  of 
  northwestern 
  Europe. 
  Scandinavia 
  and 
  

   southeastern 
  Greenland 
  face 
  each 
  other 
  across 
  the 
  intervening 
  waters 
  

   of 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  Ocean 
  along 
  the 
  same 
  parallels 
  of 
  latitude. 
  Contrast 
  

   the 
  populous 
  and 
  prosperous 
  lands 
  of 
  the 
  one 
  with 
  the 
  bleak 
  and 
  

   inhospitable 
  shores 
  of 
  the 
  other! 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  observed 
  that 
  the 
  tempering 
  influence 
  of 
  the 
  Gulf 
  Stream 
  

   on 
  the 
  climate 
  of 
  northwestern 
  Europe 
  is 
  effected 
  through 
  the 
  agency 
  

   of 
  winds. 
  In 
  winter 
  the 
  winds 
  are 
  there 
  prevailingly 
  from 
  the 
  south- 
  

   west. 
  Blowing 
  over 
  the 
  relatively 
  warm 
  water 
  which 
  the 
  Gulf 
  Stream 
  

   (using 
  the 
  term 
  as 
  embracing 
  also 
  the 
  North 
  Atlantic 
  Drift) 
  has 
  

   brought 
  to 
  the 
  northeastern 
  rim 
  of 
  the 
  Atlantic, 
  they 
  carry 
  warm 
  air 
  

   onto 
  the 
  coast. 
  It 
  is 
  through 
  this 
  mechanism 
  that 
  the 
  heat 
  exchange 
  

  

  