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Part III. — Fifteenth Annual Report 



Channel. Down to a depth of about 8 fathoms the temperature in 1896 

 is higher than in 1893, but at 15 fathoms it is nearly 1° C. lower, and 

 this quantity diminishes slowly to nearly zero at 80 fathoms, increasing 

 again steadily to 1° at the bottom. Station III. shows a lower tempera- 

 ture of about 0 o, 5 C. at the surface, diminishing to zero at 45 fathoms, 

 below which point the water was warmer in 1896 than in 1893 

 by an amount reaching a maximum of 0 o, 5 C. at 80 fathoms, and 

 diminishing again to zero at about 130 fathoms. At still greater depths 

 the year 1896 shows colder water, the difference being greatest at about 

 250 fathoms, just above the Ridge level. Station V. shows differences 

 of almost exactly similar type, but the amounts are in general smaller. 



Station VI., as before, explains the whole position. Here the tempera- 

 ture in 1896 is lower than in 1893 down to about 30 fathoms, and then 

 warmer water is met with, the difference increasing steadily to as much 

 as 2°*4 C. between 90 and 100 fathoms, then again decreasing to zero at 

 about 180 fathoms, and varying about that point to 400 fathoms. 



The general map of surface temperature of the North Atlantic shows 

 that, in 1896, the isothermal of 1896 fails anywhere to cross the parallel 

 of 60° N. lat. Instead of as in 1893 extending northward to the south- 

 west of Iceland,* the line of 17° touches the south of Ireland as before, 

 but immediately to the westward bends southward to below 50° N. lat., 

 instead of northward to beyond 51° N. The line of 10° begins south- 

 east of Iceland, and extends as before to just north of the Faeroe Islands, 

 but apparently recurves in a much wider bend towards the Norwegian 

 coast, and the temperatures east of Iceland are lower, indicating a 

 stronger and more widespread current of cold water moving southwards. 



These remarkable differences of distribution become at once intel- 

 ligible when the meteorology of the period is considered. The pilot 

 chart issued by the United States Hydrographic Office, gives the following 

 information for 1896 : — 



May. — ' The number of icebergs is unusually large, especially near the 

 south-eastern extremity of Newfoundland.' While this statement refers 

 to a special region with which we are not immediately concerned, it may 

 be taken as indicating temperature above the normal in high latitudes 

 during early summer. 



June. — ' The weather over the North Atlantic has been generally fine. 

 The winds in the northern part of the ocean (north of 45° N.) were fresh 

 to strong from the north or east during the first week, due to an area of 

 high pressure over that region. On the 8th they commenced to blow 

 from the westerly quadrants, and continued so with the exception of a 

 few days for the two weeks following. 



' The barometric pressure in the vicinity of the Azores was irregular 

 and below the normal for the first two weeks. During that time the 

 winds between those islands and Europe were principally from the west 

 or south-west. 



July. — 'The weather over the North Atlantic during most of the 



month has been moderate North of the 45th parallel there were 



gales, principally from the south-west, from the 3rd to the 5th, and from 

 the 8th to the 12th of the month, due to two storm areas, whose centres 

 are shown on the chart between the 50th and 60th parallels. 



1 The barometric pressure has been generally below the normal north 

 of 50° N. Over the west coasts of Europe, and the British Isles, and the 

 ocean adjacent, anti-cyclones have predominated. This arrangement of 

 conditions caused south-west to westerly winds, principally over the 



* Geographical Journal, March 1896, Plate 7. 



