152 Fluctuations 



solitary example of what is needed. In the future, after unattended 

 instruments on buoys have been maintained for many years at various 

 points in the oceans and as soon as long series of subsurface temperature, 

 salinity, and velocity measurements have accumulated, it will be possible 

 to discuss these matters more satisfactorily. 



LONG-PERIOD FLUCTUATIONS IN THE GULF STREAM 



There are not sufi&cient data available to permit us to discuss fluctuations 

 in the Gulf Stream System lasting longer than one year. This is because 

 early measurements were made without a knowledge of the existence of 

 meanders and eddies. Unless allowance can be made for these short- 

 period fluctuations, the long-period variations obtained by plotting the 

 data are not statistically significant. 



The Kuroshio, which flows along the coast of Japan, and which appears 

 superflcially to be similar to the Gulf Stream, has exhibited a very remark- 

 able change in the period 1919-1950. From 1919 to 1934 (Uda, 1938) the 

 Kuroshio had a pattern of flow past Cape Shiono Misaki very much like 

 that of the Gulf Stream off Cape Hatteras. Between 1935 and 1942 a large, 

 semipermanent cold eddy, 200 km. in diameter, developed at the Cape, and 

 the Kuroshio weakened and went completely around this cold mass. Since 

 1942 the eddy has slowly decayed and the stream has returned to its 

 original state. We have never observed anything Hke this in the Gulf 

 Stream. 



