P32. 



The Distribution of Ocean Temperatures along the West 



Coast of North America deduced from 



Ekman's Theory of the Upwelling of Cold Water from 



the Adjacent Ocean Depths. 



By 



Dr. George F. McEweii, 



Physicist of the Marine Biological Station of San Diego. 



With 21 Text-figures. 



Introduction. 



The presence along the west coast of North America of a belt of 

 cold surface water having at any point a much lower temperature than 

 is normal for the corresponding latitude, has long been known. And 

 several papers have been written in which a diversity of merely qua- 

 litative explanations of this interesting and perplexing phenomenon have 

 been given. The present paper is an attempt to explain quantitatively 

 the temperature distribution by means of a new theory of oceanic cir- 

 culation, developed by V. W. Ekman(l) of Kristiana. 



The contents of this paper fall under the following nine heads: 



I. A brief summary of some important and generally accepted facts 

 concerning oceanic temperatures and circulation. 



II. A brief review of the theories that have been proposed to account 

 for the cold-water belt along the west coast of North America. 



III. An abstract of the most important part of Ekman's theory of 

 oceanic circulation needed in attacking the above mentioned problems. 



IV. Some general qualitative applications of his theory to a variety 

 of temperature problems. 



V. The formulation of a temperature problem in such a way that 

 a quantitative estimate of the mean monthly surface-water temperature 

 for any given place can be made by means of the pbysical theory of 

 heat and circulation. 



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