SPECIFIC GRAVITIES AND OCEANIC CIRCULATION. 



333 



by the strong prevailing south- westerly winds in the Arctic Ocean, and the still stronger 

 prevailing north-westerly winds in the Antarctic Ocean, may be regarded as chiefly 

 supplying the force principally concerned in distributing the ice-cold waters of polar 



regions over the bottom of the ocean in all latitudes. 



Owing to the great blanks in the ocean where no observations have yet been made, 

 it will be convenient to limit the discussion to the following seven regions, which are 

 signalised for well-marked characteristics as regards salinity and specific gravity. The 

 following table shows their positions and salinities and specific gravities, to which is 

 added the approximate means for the ocean taken as a whole, with which they may be 

 compared. 



Of these seven areas, the highest salinity occurs in the North Atlantic from lat. 20° 

 to 40°. At the surface and at all depths down to the bottom it exceeds every other 

 ocean in the degree of its salinity. This is caused by the large contributions the surface 

 receives from the South Atlantic by the south trades and attending currents crossing 

 the equator, and by the very large accessions to the salinity contributed to the lower 



Salinities. 





Pacific Ocean. 



Atlantic Ocean. 



«3 



a 

 a 



o 



O 



O >-H 



CO o 



~00 



o 



'$ 



m 



•A H3 



m a 



-*j en 



a" 



o 



03 



*-< 



CO O 



1—1 "S 

 rd EL 



■ o 



-w <— > Si 



+s cJd"< 



ci 

 a 

 '3 



o 



©2 



CO P* g 



-w o 3 

 °©"J 





"§ &i) 



OS 



T3 



c3 



"3 



*s ob 



CB O 







^ § 



►75 



a 



i-3 9 



M i-3 



o 



cs 



t-3l-3 





Surface, 



1-0257 



1-0257 



1-0259 



1-0266 



1-0259 



1-0273 



1-0272 



1-0262 



100 fathoms, 



257 



256 



258 



266 



261 



271 



266 



260 



200 „ . . . 



257 



253 



256 



261 



256 



269 



260 



258 



300 „ . . . 



255 



253 



255 



259 



255 



267 



259 



257 



400 „ . . . 



255 



253 



256 



259 



255 



265 



259 



256 



800 „ . . . 





254 



256 



259 



257 



266 



258 



256 



1500 „ to bottom, . 



257 



254 



255 



261 



25-6 



266 



262 



258 





Specific Gba\ 



r ITIES. 







Surface 



10231 



1-0248 



1-0231 



1-0239 



10235 



1-0256 



10251 



1-0252 



100 fathoms,. 



251 



260 



261 



252 



260 



269 



268 



261 



200 „ . . . 



264 



266 



268 



269 



269 



271 



271 



268 



300 



269 



269 



270 



272 



272 



274 



274 



271 



400 „ . . . 



271 



271 



272 



275 



274 



278 



277 



273 



800 „ . . . 





274 



276 



278 



275 



283 



277 



276 



1500 „ to bottom, . 



277 



277 



278 



281 



277 



286 



281 



279 



2000 „ „ „ . 



278 



277 



278 



281 



277 



286 



282 



280 



VOL. XXXVIII. PARI 



II. (no. 



9). 











2 " 



Y 



