OCEAN CURRENTS 169 



Horn to about 43 S. Lat. This current will be noticed as 

 flowing in an entirely opposite direction to that shown on the 

 older German charts.. The English charts also show a con- 

 necting current in 30 to 35 S. Lat. flowing across to the 

 Cape of Good Hope. This connecting current was first 

 described by Rennell, and it follows the course of the south- 

 east trades to the Indian Ocean. 



From numerous temperature observations it is clear that 

 the Brazil Current flows to the south, and is separated from 

 the coastal banks by water that is always from 6 to 10 C. 

 colder (see Fig. 32). Over the banks themselves the water is 

 nevertheless slightly warmer than that of the cold Falkland 

 Current. Sailing ships on the outward journey round Cape 

 Horn, battling against the prevailing south-west winds, con- 

 stantly record ups and downs in the water temperatures from 

 day to day as they cross and recross the boundary between 

 the Brazil and the Falkland Currents. 



Cape Horn ships on their homeward journey almost 

 always record meeting warm water, from 3 to 5 higher 

 than that previously met with, north-east of the Falkland 

 Islands in about 50 S. Lat. This is the southernmost 

 extremity of the Brazil Current. The accompanying figure 

 shows that this current before it attains 49 or 50 S. Lat. 

 turns to the eastward, so that around the Falkland Islands 

 cold water is invariably encountered. 



It is very improbable that the Brazil Current splits off the 

 La Plata estuary, and that a narrow 7 branch runs down along 

 the coast. The temperature records are against this theory, 

 as well as the actual current observations. Of 458 records of 

 good reliability taken on the coastal banks, 321 show a 

 northerly current between east-north-east and west-north-west 

 that is, 70 per cent, of the total. Some of these current 

 records show considerable velocity 16, 20, and even up to 

 33 sea-miles per day. As soon as the boundary between the 

 warm and cold waters is passed by ships on a south-westerly 

 course, this northerly drift is observed. Wilkes noted this in 



