NO. 4 TEMPERATURE VARIATIONS IN THE NORTH ATLANTIC 93 



Ocean by February, 1904. The circumstance that the minimum 

 gradually extended also toward the west of 50° west longitude along 

 the water-masses of the Gulf Stream may perhaps be explained by 

 the consideration that the cold water of the Labrador Stream was 

 gradually diffused with the coast current along the south coast of 

 Newfoundland as well as along the southwest coast of Nova Scotia 

 in the year 1903 and yet more in the year 1904. This cold water 

 became gradually mixed with the water-masses of the Gulf Stream 

 further to the west in the open sea. 



We may now inquire whether there is evidence that the Labrador 

 current actually transported uncommonly great quantities of cold 

 water in the year 1903. We find, as already mentioned, that exactly 

 in this year an uncommonly great quantity of ice appeared along the 

 Newfoundland banks, which indicates an abnormal development of 

 the Labrador Stream, as Schott has pointed out. 



This tends strongly to confirm the correctness of the above given 

 explanation and Schott came also to the conclusion that the water- 

 masses of the Gulf Stream in the year 1903 were uncommonly 

 strongly cooled by the increased activity of the Labrador current, 

 so that this gradually cooled the whole Atlantic Ocean eastward 

 clear to the coast of Europe in the course of the year. 



As above pointed out, however, we cannot agree with Schott that 

 the increase of the Labrador current was called forth by a great 

 intensification of the velocity of the Gulf Stream beginning with 

 the year 1903 as he has assumed. Our temperatures of the ocean 

 surface in February do not give the slightest indication of an inten- 

 sification of the Gulf Stream unless in the most western 10° fields 

 between 60° and 70° west longitude on the coast of America (see 

 fig. 20). In the fields further eastward, in the region of the Labrador 

 current, the surface temperature in February, 1903, was uncommonly 

 low. In this region there was an absolute minimum in the spring 

 of the year just named, in February and yet more in March-April 

 especially in the field between 50° and 60° west longitude (see fig. 

 20 and pis. 26 and 27) . 



In relation to the tendency of the Labrador current to cool the 

 water-masses of the Gulf Stream, one must, like Meinardus (1904), 

 take into account that the greatest part of the water-masses of the 

 Labrador current, in consequence of its low temperature and in 

 spite of its small salt contents, is heavier than the water-masses of 

 the Gulf Stream. On this account it tends to sink underneath the 

 Gulf Stream and thereby has a strong tendency to cool the latter 



