230 INTERACTION BETWEEN THE ATMOSPHERE AND THE OCEANS 



phere into account. This surplus must, if positive, be carried out of the 

 water column by currents and processes of mixing, and it then represents 

 the part of the radiation surplus, Qr, which is stored in the water. A 

 negative surplus means that energy is carried into the water column by 

 currents and processes of mixing and is given off to the atmosphere 

 together with the radiation surplus. 



The annual values of Qv are shown in fig. 67, which illustrates that 

 heat is stored in the water over great areas of the ocean, particularly in 

 middle and lower latitudes off the western coasts of the continents and 

 that enormous quantities of heat are lost from the Gulf Stream system 

 and the Kuroshio system. Fig. 67 is mainly of oceanographic interest, 



Fig. 67. Total annual surplus of energy received by the ocean water (gram 

 calories per square centimeter per day) when the exchange of energy with the atmos- 

 phere is taken into account. Areas with positive surplus are shaded. 



but it serves in this connection to emphasize the part played by the 

 ocean currents in concentrating the radiation surplus that the oceans 

 receive and thus localizing the regions in which large amounts of energy 

 are supplied to the atmosphere. 



Returning to the energy given off to the atmosphere, fig. 68 shows 

 the seasonal variation in energy used for evaporation, energy given off 

 as sensible heat, and the sum of both items between the parallels of 

 35°N and 40°N in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. This figure again 

 illustrates the striking contrast between the western and eastern sides of 

 the oceans. The amounts of energy given off from the Kuroshio and the 

 Gulf Stream areas are many times greater than the corresponding 

 amounts given off from the eastern parts of the oceans, and at the same 

 time the annual variation on the western side is both absolutely and 

 relatively (that is, expressed in percentage of the mean annual amounts) 

 many times greater than on the eastern side. The sharp peak of the 

 energy curve in the Gulf Stream as contrasted to the broader band over 

 the Kuroshio region is related to the course of the two currents. Between 

 latitudes 35° and 40° N the Gulf Stream flows to the east-northeast, 

 whereas the Kuroshio continues nearly due east. The fact that only 

 small amounts of energy are given off between longitude 160°W and the 



