76 THE OCEAN 



ing column of water may not extend to the 

 cloud above, but may be separated by a wide 

 space so that no visible reason appears for 

 the mass of disturbed water which stands up, 

 like an inverted cone, above the surface of 

 the sea. 



Oftentimes waterspouts will form and re- 

 main almost stationary in one spot for a long 

 time and then gradually subside. At other 

 times they may form and break and re- 

 form repeatedly within a short distance, 

 or sometimes the spouts may go racing 

 off across the sea with tremendous speed. In 

 every instance, however, their cause is the 

 same and they are formed by whirling winds, 

 like miniature tornadoes, which create a suc- 

 tion or partial vacuum in the air above the 

 sea and thus draw up the water from below. 

 If the whirling wind ceases or encounters a 

 wind blowing from another direction, or if the 

 column of water meets some obstacle, the suc- 

 tion ceases and the spout bursts and falls like 

 a cloudburst. If the rotary force gradually 

 decreases, or the suction is insufficient to con- 

 tinue to draw up the water, the spout may 



