— 2 1 — 



Source of the Water forming the Currents 

 of the Antarctic Regions. 



Since the voyage of the CHALLENGER it has been recog- 

 nized that the surface water of the antarctic regions resembles 

 in its physical characteristics the water of the abysses, and in 

 the Pacific, at least, it has been assumed that the abyssal water 

 is derived from the water of the antarctic. 



If we may depend upon the data presented by the distri- 

 bution of the crinoids this is not quite true. While the abyssal 

 water of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans is of antarctic 

 origin, it is not directly derived from the antarctic surface 

 water by a northward flow into the abysses. It represents 

 instead the slack water on the western (left-hand) edge of the 

 at first eastward and then northward flowing currents from 

 the antarctic, water which, moving at reduced speed, in the 

 southern hemisphere constantly tends to become turned to 

 the west (left) away from the main current and, after losing 

 its speed, to fall to the bottom. 



The water of the abysses, therefore, does not originate as 

 a northerly flow from the antarctic regions, but as a centri- 

 petal flow from the entire outer border of the currents skirting 

 the eastern shores of the great oceans. In short, the compara- 

 tively simple conditions which furnish the abyssal water of 

 the Sea of Japan and the Sea of Okhotsk are repeated on a much 

 grander scale in the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans. 



If this were true it would of course naturally follow that 

 the abysses of the southern hemisphere would be filled with 

 water which is in comparatively rapid circulation, while the 

 abysses of the northern hemisphere would be filled with water 

 which is comparatively stagnant ; for the rotation of the earth 

 would divert a large part of the water from the eastern shores 

 of the oceans into the abysses of the southern hemisphere, while 

 it would at the same time tend to prevent the water from falling 

 into the abysses of the northern hemisphere, tending instead 



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