857 



Öfversigt af Kongl. Vetenskaps-Akademiens Förhandlingar 1899. N:o 9. 

 Stockholm. 



On tlie origin of »Gulf-streamwater». 

 By P. T. Clbve. 



(Communieated on November 8, 1899.) 



Hydrographers understand by gulf-stream water such water in 

 the northern Atlantic as contains about 35, or rather more, p.m. 

 of salt. The name indicates that it is supposed that such water 

 derives from the Gulf-stream, or the surface-current, which 

 runs from the Gulf of Mexico. The study of the geographica] 

 distribution of the plankton-organisms has convinced me that 

 such a supposition is, at least for the greater bulk of gulf-stream 

 water, erroneous and that the »gulf-strearawater» comes into the 

 northern Atlantic along the west coast of Africa and between 

 the Azores and Europé. This is in direct opposition to all 

 maps of currents, founded upon direct observation of the surface- 

 currents, so it must be admitted that the »gulf-stream water» 

 raoves as an under-current. I know a number of plankton 

 organisms, which all point to the above conclusion. 



Samples from the Benguela current, for which I ara indebt- 

 ed to the kind assistance of Doctor Van DoESBURan on the Fregatte 

 Atjeh of the Dutch Navy, make it more than probable that the 

 »gulf-stream water» reaches the Atlantic round the Cape of Good 

 Hope. 



I have comprised under the name »st2/li-plankton» such 

 organisms as inhabit the »gulf-stream water» of the hydrographers. 

 The number of such forms, known to me at present, is very 

 considerable, but I will here treat of the distribution of a smaller 

 number only, selecting some of the' typical species. Some of 



