X Preface 



Arthur, of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, for his advice and 

 encouragement . 



In a field as small as dynamical oceanography it is inevitable that many 

 exchanges of information take place by word of mouth. It is always a 

 pleasure to discuss problems freely with investigators from other countries, 

 and I have been able to talk with most of them. Owing to world conditions, 

 I have never met the leading Russian dynamical oceanographer, Professor 

 W. B. Stockmann, and hence my acquaintance with his ideas is Umited to 

 occasional translations of his papers. The Japanese studies of the Kuroshio 

 are, for the most part, not treated in this book, partly on account of 

 language difficulties, and partly because they are voluminous and deserve 

 more careful study than I can give them. The Kuroshio is not unlike the 

 Gulf Stream in many ways, and it is hoped that some day a thorough 

 comparison can be made. 



Over the course of the years my researches have been generously sup- 

 ported by the Office of Naval Research through contracts wdth the Woods 

 Hole Oceanographic Institution. Without this sustenance I could certainly 

 not have undertaken such experimental and observational studies as I 

 have, and I should not have been afforded the opportunity of associating 

 with the many keen minds and eager students of the sea who work at 

 Woods Hole. But the conception of and responsibihty for a book of this 

 kind is, in the last analysis, an individual matter; therefore, it is also 

 befitting to record here the fact that the writing of this book has been 

 entirely a private undertaking at home and that preparation of the 

 manuscript and of the original figures has been at my own expense. 



Henry Stommel 



Woods Hole, Massachusetts 

 June, 1955 



