OCEANOGRAPHY UST THE UNITED STATES 7 



111 the various marine card decks at the National Weather Records 

 Center there are over 24 milhon marine observations. In using foreign 

 decks of punched card weather data with our own decks, our costs are 

 materially increased by the necessity of combinmg different coding 

 practices for any particular summary. There is a possibility that the 

 marine decks can be consolidated into one master deck. This would 

 take several years to accomplish. After completion it would be main- 

 tained on a current basis. 



Minimum time track routings are prepared from the 30-hour and 

 5-day Weather Bureau forecasts converted to sea condition charts. 

 It is proposed in future planning to compute mean minimum time 

 tracks between major ports from the historical map series and wave 

 observations. This would be of direct benef].t to the merchant 

 service and could be used as an average operational planning guide 

 for those engaged in ship routing. 



EESEARCH IN METEOROLOGICAL OCEANOGRAPHY 



The Weather Bureau's program in meteorological oceanography 

 is concerned with study of the interactions between the atmosphere 

 and tlie sea. The interplay between the atmosphere and the ocean 

 is so direct and interdependent that the atmosphere and ocean can 

 be considered as one medium separated by a discontinuity in density 

 and velocity. The exchange of heat, moisture, momentum, gases 

 (such as carbon dioxide and oxygen), and certain chemical elements 

 (such as sodium, chlorine, potassium, calcium, and magnesium) hasi 

 profound influence on the subsequent beliavior of tlie atmosphere 

 and ocean . 



In supplying the atmosphere, the oceans serve as a storehouse of 

 nearly infinite capacity for heat, moisture, and otlier properties. 

 In turn, the faster-moving atmosphere supplies the oceans, par- 

 ticularly the top layers, with much of their momentum. 



The contributions made by the ocean ciuTents to poleward 

 transport of some of the excess energy accumulated from solar radi- 

 ation in the tropical latitudes is still not accurately determined, but 

 it appears to be at least 10 percent of that required for global energy 

 balance. Of course, unless there is a balance in the income and outgo 

 of heat, the earth would get warmer or colder and this is an important 

 study in determining the mechanisms of the atmosphere that gen- 

 erate various kinds of weather. 



Mr. Miller. This has to do with the tides or currents that carry 

 heat toward the north? 



Mr. Rbichelderfer. It does; yes, sir. 



Mr. Miller. To help counteract and stabilize the ocean? 



Mr. Reichelderfer. To distribute the heat. 



One of the best known examples, of course, to Americans is the 

 Gulf Stream and its effect on European climate. The Japanese 

 Current in the Pacific is another good example. It brings the warm 

 moist air northward and warms the areas that would normally be 

 colder than the stream itself. 



The formation of new volumes of cold bottom water in the oceans 

 seems to occur during unusually cold decades (such as that of 1810- 

 20)— one of the years in this period is still known as the year without 

 a summer — and it is still a matter for debate among oceanographers 



