﻿306 
  ANNUAL 
  EEPOKT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  192 
  9 
  

  

  in 
  winter 
  between 
  the 
  Gulf 
  Stream 
  and 
  the 
  air 
  of 
  northwestern 
  Europe 
  

   takes 
  place. 
  

  

  How 
  great 
  the 
  influence 
  of 
  the 
  Gulf 
  Stream 
  on 
  the 
  climate 
  of 
  north- 
  

   western 
  Europe 
  is, 
  becomes 
  evident 
  from 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  average 
  

   temperature 
  for 
  the 
  month 
  of 
  January 
  in 
  northern 
  Norway 
  is 
  about 
  45° 
  

   above 
  the 
  January 
  temperature 
  normal 
  for 
  that 
  latitude. 
  ^^ 
  Hammer- 
  

   fest, 
  on 
  the 
  north 
  coast 
  of 
  Norway 
  in 
  latitude 
  70° 
  40' 
  N. 
  — 
  well 
  within 
  

   the 
  Arctic 
  Circle 
  — 
  is 
  an 
  important 
  harbor 
  and 
  sea-fishing 
  center 
  dur- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  winter, 
  while 
  the 
  port 
  of 
  Riga, 
  about 
  800 
  miles 
  farther 
  south 
  is 
  

   obstructed 
  b}'' 
  ice 
  throughout 
  the 
  season. 
  

  

  Since 
  the 
  climate 
  of 
  northwestern 
  Europe 
  is 
  so 
  strongly 
  influenced 
  

   b}^ 
  the 
  Gulf 
  Stream, 
  should 
  not 
  fluctuations 
  in 
  the 
  latter 
  find 
  reflection 
  

   in 
  changes 
  in 
  the 
  climatic 
  conditions 
  of 
  this 
  region? 
  At 
  first 
  glance 
  

   the 
  differences 
  in 
  temperature 
  of 
  the 
  Gulf 
  Stream 
  from 
  year 
  to 
  year 
  — 
  

   something 
  like 
  1° 
  — 
  might 
  appear 
  insignificant 
  in 
  such 
  a 
  connection. 
  

   But 
  the 
  fact 
  is 
  not 
  to 
  be 
  overlooked 
  that 
  the 
  capacity 
  of 
  water 
  for 
  

   heat 
  is 
  so 
  great 
  that 
  when 
  a 
  given 
  volume 
  of 
  water 
  gives 
  off 
  the 
  heat 
  

   represented 
  by 
  a 
  fall 
  of 
  1° 
  in 
  temperature, 
  a 
  mass 
  of 
  air 
  more 
  than 
  

   3,000 
  times 
  that 
  volume 
  will 
  have 
  its 
  temperature 
  raised 
  1°. 
  

  

  A 
  direct 
  attack 
  on 
  this 
  problem 
  is 
  difficult 
  because 
  of 
  the 
  lack 
  

   of 
  systematic 
  observations 
  on 
  the 
  temperature 
  and 
  flow 
  of 
  the 
  Gulf 
  

   Stream. 
  Otto 
  Pettersson 
  studied 
  the 
  temperature 
  variations 
  of 
  the 
  

   water 
  at 
  several 
  places 
  along 
  the 
  Norwegian 
  coast 
  and 
  found 
  that 
  these 
  

   variations 
  were 
  reflected 
  by 
  corresponding 
  variations 
  in 
  various 
  cli- 
  

   matic 
  phenomena. 
  ^^ 
  The 
  problem 
  clearly 
  is 
  a 
  complicated 
  .one 
  involv- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  question 
  of 
  the 
  mutual 
  interaction 
  of 
  ocean 
  and 
  atmosphere. 
  

   A 
  considerable 
  literature 
  has 
  grown 
  up 
  around 
  this, 
  which 
  is 
  sum- 
  

   marized 
  by 
  Helland-Hansen 
  and 
  Nansen.^^ 
  

  

  One 
  phase 
  of 
  this 
  problem 
  links 
  with 
  the 
  question 
  of 
  long-range 
  

   weather 
  forecasts. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  long 
  circuit 
  that 
  is 
  traversed 
  by 
  the 
  Gulf 
  

   Stream 
  from 
  its 
  place 
  of 
  orgin 
  in 
  the 
  subtropical 
  regions 
  to 
  the 
  coasts 
  

   of 
  northwestern 
  Europe. 
  How 
  long 
  a 
  period 
  intervenes 
  between 
  

   fluctuations 
  in 
  the 
  stream 
  and 
  the 
  resultant 
  climatic 
  effects 
  in 
  Europe? 
  

   This 
  problem, 
  too, 
  can 
  not 
  yet 
  be 
  attacked 
  directlj^, 
  because 
  of 
  the 
  lack 
  

   of 
  systematic 
  observations. 
  Such 
  investigations 
  as 
  have 
  been 
  made 
  

   show 
  this 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  promising 
  field. 
  Thus 
  Otto 
  Pettersson 
  found 
  that 
  

   the 
  date 
  when 
  spring 
  plowing 
  could 
  commence 
  near 
  Upsala 
  depended 
  

   on 
  the 
  temperature 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  of 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  off 
  the 
  coast 
  of 
  Norway 
  

   about 
  two 
  months 
  previous. 
  Vilhelm 
  Pettersson 
  found 
  that 
  the 
  sum- 
  

   s' 
  J. 
  W. 
  Sandstrom: 
  tJber 
  den 
  Einfluss 
  des 
  Golfstromes 
  auf 
  die 
  Winter-temperatur 
  in 
  Europe 
  Meteorol. 
  

   Zeitschr., 
  Vol. 
  43, 
  pp. 
  401-411 
  1926; 
  reference 
  on 
  p. 
  401. 
  

  

  29 
  Otto 
  Pettersson: 
  tJber 
  die 
  Beziehungen 
  zwischen 
  hydrographischen 
  und 
  metorologischen 
  Phanomenen, 
  

   Meteorol. 
  Zeitschr., 
  Vol. 
  13, 
  pp. 
  285-318, 
  1896. 
  

  

  " 
  Bjorn 
  Helland-Hansen 
  and 
  Fridtjof 
  Nansen: 
  Temperature 
  Variations 
  in 
  the 
  North 
  Atlantic 
  Ocean 
  

   and 
  in 
  the 
  Atmosphere, 
  Smithsonian 
  Misc. 
  Coll., 
  Vol. 
  70, 
  No. 
  4, 
  pp. 
  26-51, 
  Washington, 
  1920. 
  

  

  