considerably simplified. Sufficient data of this type does not exist. 

 Consequently, isolated measurements and somewhat more extensive measure- 

 ments across interesting areas, such as the Gulf Stream, must serve as 

 guides to guesses for the kinetic energy in any desired region. 



The energy that must be supplied continuously from outside the 

 ocean to maintain the existing general circulation is ultimately of lunar 

 or solar origin. Much of it, however, enters indirectly through the 

 atmosphere. In the calculations below, only an upper limit is established 

 for this rate of doing mechanical work on the ocean which in turn is 

 equated to the rate at which the general motion produces viscously gener- 

 ated heat. 



It will be necessary to consider the effect of the inhomogeneous 

 properties of the ocean on the flow primarily because work must be done 

 to overcome adverse density gradients. Fortunately, oceanographers 

 have always attached importance to a knowledge of the inhomogeneous structure 

 and adequate data is available for present purposes. This subject will be 

 considered in the subsequent section dealing with the stability of the ocean. 



Total Energy 

 There is a large, almost steady, reservoir of kinetic energy in 

 ocean movements which range from the high velocities in the Gulf Stream 

 to the almost stationary deep ocean. An analysis was made of the im- 

 pressive Gulf Stream flow to determine the extent of the movement of water 

 in that flow relative to surrounding waters. Flow profiles obtained by 

 Must (S, 674) were used for the Florida Straits and data obtained by 



Available information on the ocean can often be found in The Oceans by 

 Sverdrup, Johnson, and Fleming (1942), References to that book in this 

 report will be abbreviated to read "(S, page number)", 



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