PHYSICAL OCEANOGRAPHY OF THE GULF OF MAINE 
By HENRY B. BIGELOW 
Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University 
With the collaboration of R. Parmenter and E. H. Smith 
a ? 6 
CONTENTS 
Page 
Introduction 513 
Oceanographic history 513 
1. Gulf of Maine proper 513 
2. Continental shelf south of Nantucket 
and Marthas Vineyard 517 
Topography 518 
Depth of the gulf _____ — 519 
Banks and sinks _ 519 
Watershed 521 
Temperature 522 
February and March 522 
Surface , 522 
Vertical distribution 523 
40 meters 524 
100 meters and deeper 526 
Profiles 529 
Bottom 542 
Annual variations in temperature in 
early spring 543 
Vernal warming 546 
April 550 
May 556 
Surface _ 556 
Below the surface--- 564 
June. ; 571 
Rate of warming 572 
General distribution of temperature. 580 
July and August 585 
Surface — 585 
Temperature gradient in the upper 
100 meters 596 
Temperature gradient in depths 
greater than 100 meters.^ 602 
Temperature gradient on the offshore 
banks 604 
Temperature gradient along the con- 
tinental edge 605 
40 meters 607 
Page 
T emperature — Continued . 
July and August — Continued. 
100 meters 610 
150 meters and deeper 613 
Profiles 615 
Bottom. ... 624 
Annual variations in summer temper- 
ature 626 
Autumnal cooling 636 
Surface 636 
Subsurface 638 
November and December 645 
Mid-winter.: i 651 
Thermal summaries 662 
1. Mouth of Massachusetts Bay, off 
Gloucester- 662 
2. Bay of Fundy : 664 
3. Near Mount Desert Island 665 
4. Western side of the basin.. 665 
Relationship between the temperature 
of the surface and of the air 668 
Factors governing the temperature of the 
Gulf of Maine . 674 
Solar warming 674 
Dispersal of heat downward into the 
water , ; 678 
Thermal effects of upwellings 679 
Thermal effects of horizontal circulation 
of the gulf _____ 679 
Thermal effects of evaporation 680 
Thermal effects of the Nova Scotian 
current 680 
Thermal effects of the slope water 690 
Winter chilling .... 692 
Table of normal air temperatures 695 
Chilling effect of melting snow 696 
Chilling effect of melting ice 697 
Thermal effect of river water ; 699 
Summary of thermal determinants 699 
