Foreword 
This manual is issued for the purpose of presenting the general requirements of 
the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey in the observation and reduction of 
currents. It is one of a series of manuals covering the various operations of the Bureau. 
The subjects of currents and tides are closely related and the present volume is designed 
to serve as a companion to the Manual of Tide Observations which was issued as Special 
Publication No. 196. 
Other publications pertaining to currents issued by this Bureau are the annual 
current tables containing predicted currents along the coasts of the United States, 
tidal current charts for certain localities and special publications containing observa- 
tional data for various waterways. 
The first (1938) edition of this manual was prepared by Paul Schureman, then 
Chief, Research Section, Division of Tides and Currents. This edition which consists 
largely of the original material revised to conform with the latest accepted procedures 
of the Coast and Geodetic Survey, was prepared by F. J. Haight, Chief, Section of 
Currents, under the direction of Capt. C. D. Meaney, Chief, Division of Tides and 
Currents. 
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