PREFACE 



The purpose of this book is to describe and explain what is known about 

 the Gulf Stream in a way which will interest physical scientists. The name 

 'Gulf Stream' is familiar enough to everyone, but few scientists have any 

 knowledge of the nature of this grand natural phenomenon. I hope that 

 by means of this book I shall be able to communicate the facts and theories 

 concerning the Gulf Stream to a wide scientific audience. Those interested 

 in an authoritative treatise which covers the entire field of oceanography 

 will do best to refer to The Oceans: Their Physics, Chemistry and General 

 Biology, by H. U. Sverdrup, Martin Johnson, and Richard Fleming; those 

 who seek an appreciation of the theoretical framework of oceanography 

 should read Dynamical Oceanography, by Joseph Proudman. So far as the 

 restricted subject of the Gulf Stream itself is concerned, I beUeve the dis- 

 cussion in this Avork is more comprehensive than that in any other source. 

 At any rate, I have sought to make it so. 



I am very much indebted to all my colleagues at the Woods Hole 

 Oceanographic Institution, many of whom have spent weary months at 

 sea in our uncomfortable little exploring vessels gathering information 

 about the western North Atlantic. In particular, I have profited from 

 discussion of a descriptive nature with Messrs F. C. Fughster, C. O'D. 

 Iselin, W. S. von Arx, A. H. Woodcock, and L. V. Worthington. My 

 collaboration with Mr Donald Parson, Jr., will always evoke memories 

 of happy instrument-making. I have had the pleasure of theoretical 

 discussions with Dr Willem Malkus, Dr Jule G. Charney, Dr George 

 Veronis, and Dr George W. Morgan. Some of the ideas expressed in 

 this book arose and took shape in these informal discussions. I do 

 not claim them as my own. Wherever recollection permits I have 

 indicated their source. And I want to express my gratitude to Dr R. S. 



