JUNE 25, 1914| 
NATURE 
443 
Sea Temperature.—The temperature of the sea sur- 
face, which fell below the normal at the close of the 
previous year, continued in defect during the first 
three months of the year under notice, except in the 
south-western portion of the North Atlantic, where 
it rose above the normal after the middle of February. 
The temperature then increased so quickly that in 
less than a month the 70° isotherm was charted 8° to 
the east of its average limit for March. In the more 
northern portions of the ocean, the surface tempera- 
ture, although in defect until after March, rose from 
the middle of February until April, and in that month 
the charted results exhibited, for the most part, an 
excess of temperature over the North Atlantic gener- 
ally. The abnormally warm water, of equatorial 
origin, that was advancing north-eastward, and had 
been most noticeable in the south-western Atlantic in 
March, and between the goth and soth parallels of 
latitude in the following month, reached the north- 
eastern Atlantic in May, flooding the coastal waters 
off our southern shores, while a decided reduction of 
surface temperature was taking place in other parts 
of the. ocean. 
At the end of May, and in the beginning of June, 
the 70° isotherm had retreated 6° to the west of its 
average limits for those months, but a slight tem- 
porary recovery of temperature was observed between 
the goth and soth parallels up to the middle of the 
latter month, when under the cooling influence of 
the Labrador Current the surface temperature rapidly 
declined; the 60° isotherm in August having retreated 
as much as 13° of longitude to the west of its average 
limit.. In the south-west arm of the ocean the tem- 
perature rose during June and July, reaching the 
average towards the close of the latter month, when 
it declined, but recovered in September. It again 
declined during the two months that followed, in the 
latter of which it became considerably in defect; and, 
although the sea surface temperature increased in the 
second half of November, it continued to be below 
the normal to the end of the year. 
To the north-eastward the isotherm of 60°, and 
subsequently that of 55°, indicated a decided defect 
in surface temperature to the end of the year: albeit 
fluctuations are shown which harmonise with the 
temperature of the surface water to the south-west- 
ward, as indicated by the 70° isotherm. 
For the zone between South Greenland and the 
Orkneys sufficient data are wanting for the purpose 
of comparison with normal results, until March, when 
the surface temperature is shown to have been 
slightly above the normal. It declined during the 
following two months, when it stood 13° below the 
normal; but it rose to, and remained, 3° below the 
normal in June and July; fell under the influence 
of the East Greenland Current in August; recovered 
somewhat in the month following; and exhibited 
similar fluctuations as those which obtained in August 
and September during the two remaining months, for 
which sufficient data are available. 
The air temperature over the British Isles during 
the summer and autumn of 1912, in contrast with that 
prevailing during the same seasons of the previous 
year, is found, therefore, to have been below the 
normal in June to November inclusive, except at the 
northern station in July and October and at the south- 
western station in November, at which places it rose 
slightly above in the respective months. It was above 
the normal in February to May inclusive, except at 
Valencia, when the excess did not obtain until March; 
equal to, or nearly equal to, the normal in January, 
and above in December; at Valencia above in Novem- 
ber also. 
There appears to be no justification for the assump- 
NO. 2330, VOL. 93] 
tion that important changes have taken place in the 
circulation of the North Atlantic during historic 
times. The velocity and volume of the Gulf Stream 
exhibit modifications that are non-periodic as well as 
seasonal—modifications that may occur during any 
month in any year. When the Stream is abnormally 
active, its resistance to the Labrador current is 
probably carried farther north than usual, with the 
result that its north-easterly branch pursues its course 
in higher latitudes than obtains normally, and its 
relatively warm saline waters penetrate to the north- 
westward of their average limits. When, on the 
other hand, the Gulf Stream is weaker than is usual, 
according to the season, the converse happens; the 
north-easterly branch of the Stream commences its 
new course after its collision with the arctic current, 
in lower parallels than those in which it commonly 
starts, and, possibly, the easterly branch is augmented 
at the expense of the former; so that the influence of 
the Stream may be restricted in two ways. 
In connection with an investigation undertaken at 
the Meteorological Office, having for its object a com- 
parison of the changes in the strength of the trade 
winds of the Atlantic? with average results, and of 
changes in the surface temperature of the North 
Atlantic with normal values, there was found to be 
some evidence to prove that departures from the 
average strength of the two trade winds during a 
series of months, and at times during even so short 
a period as one month, were roughly reflected in 
deviations from the normal through the agency of 
the equatorial current and Gulf Stream in the average 
distribution cf surface temperature in the North 
Atlantic in the corresponding series of months or 
month, as the case may be, of the succeeding year, 
notwithstanding the existence of many other causes 
affecting the temperature of the surface water, which 
must tend towards masking the appearance of such 
connection. 
Proof may, therefore, be claimed, resting on a 
chain of evidence, that many of the climatic changes 
to which our islands are subject owe their origin to 
modifications in the trade winds of the Atlantic, 
communicated through the agency of the equatorial 
current and its giant offspring the Gulf Stream. 
UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL 
INTELLIGENCE. 
CamBripce.—Mr. F. E. E. Lamplough, of Trinity 
College, has been appointed an additional demon- 
strator of chemistry for the five years ending Septem- 
ber 30, 1919. 
The Special Board for Biology and Geology has 
approved a grant of 1ool. from the Balfour Fund, made 
by the managers to Mr. George Matthai, of Em- 
manuel College, in aid of his research entitled, ““A 
Revision of the Meandroid Astraide.” 
EpINBURGH.—Important changes are imminent in 
regard to several of the chairs in the University. At 
the present moment three chairs are vacant owing to 
the resignations of Prof. Niecks (music), Prof. Donald 
Mackinnon (Celtic), and Prof. Geikie (geology). Prof. 
James Geikie became professor in 1882 in succession 
to his brother, Sir Archibald Geikie, who was its first 
occupant. During the last twenty years, since the 
subject was included in the recognised curricula for 
degrees in arts and science, it has gained in import- 
ance, and attracts every year large numbers of 
students of pure science and of engineering, agricul- 
ture, and forestry. It must assume a still greater 
importance when the new degree in mining has been 
2 ‘The Trade Winds of the Atlantic Ocean.’ 
