St. Mary's beacon., 1858-05-27
The Gulf Stream and the Atlantic.

Tue general description OF the Uliif stream
apart from any present question a. To lis sour
ces, is that Of vast aud rapid ocean currents,
! issuing from the basin of the Mexican gRif and
the Caribbean sea, doubling the Sou;hern cape
Of Florida, pressing forward to the northeast
IN line almost parallel to the American coast;
touching on the southern borders of the Grand
Banks Of Newfoundland, aud at some seasons
partially passing over them; thence with in
creased width and diffusion, traversing the
whole LrcaGth Of the Atlantic, with a central
direction towards the British Isles: and finally
losing itself by still wider diffusion in the Bay
Of Biscay, on our own shores, aud upon the
long line Of the Norwegian coasts. Its ideu-
tity in physical character is preserved through
out the many thousand miles 0f its coatinuous
how-the only change undergone is that of de-
gree. AS its waters gradually comming!e with
those of the surrounding sea, their deep blue
tint declines, their high temperature dimin-
ishcs, the speed with which they pass forward
abatcs But taking the stream in its total
course, il well warrants tllayiw3 description
and the name bestSwetf upSS it by asmodern
author, Of river in the ocean, This cpl
thct. is a truth singrlarly appropriate to this
vast current. 50 constant and continuous in its
coErs", and 50 strangely dctatckcd from the
great mass of occan waters, which, while
seemingly cleft asunder to give path To its first
impulse, are ever vet pressing upon it grsdu-
ally mpailng its force and destroying It's in
dividuaiv. The maximum of velocity, where
the stream quits the narrow channel of Bcmi
nj, which compreSscs its cgress from the Gulf
is about four miles an hours. OH Cape Hat
trras. i'll North Carolina. where 1t has gained
a breadth Of sevcntv-fve miles, the velocity Is
reduced to :hrcc miles.
On the parallel of the Newfoundland banks
it is further reduced to q mile and a half an
hour AMI this gradual abatement of force Is
continued across tie Atlantic. The tcmpera-
turc Of the current undcrgOcs a similar change.
The highest observed l. about 9:0 Fahrenheit.
Between Cape Hatteras and Newfoundland,
though lcS<cncd in amount. the warmth of the
stream in winter is still 30 or 800 above that
of the ocean through which it flows. Nor is
this heat wholly lost when it reaches and is
spread over the coast of northern Europe. The
waters thus constantly flowing 10 lis from trop-
zeal regions bring warmth. as we'll rs abundant
moisture, TO our own islands; and Ireland cS-
pccialv, upon which they more directly in
fringe. derives much of its popularity of eli
Inate-its moisture vcrdurc and abundant We
gctation-from this source.
Were it nccdful to seek proof Of the pcrma-
ncnce Of the great natural phenomenon OF
which we are speaking. we might find 1t At
those curious passages of ancient geographers
-Pomporianus Mela and j. Solinos Polyhis-
tor. for examplc-which describe the peculiar
tiles Of the Irish soil and climate eighteen CEN
turics ago, almost rs we should depict them
now But the influence of the Gulf stream
does not stop even here. The climate it may
be said to convey is diffuScd, more or less, over
the whole Norwegian coast, the aspects and
produce of which sinSularly contrast with those
Of corresponding latitudes in North America.
Greenland and Siberia. Other causes Doubt
less contribute to this fact but ..aene, we APP
prchcnd 50 largely or increasingly. The in
tlucnce of the temperature of the Gulf stream
upon animal life i'll the ocean is very serious.
The whole so sedulouSly shun its warm waters
as almost to indicate its track by their absence
while vet abu1.tlantly found on each side of it.
The physical reasons are doubtless the same
which prevents this great marine mammamalia
from ever crossing the equator from one hem
isphcre to the othcr-a fact now well aSceI
tanned. The various species of fish, which are
firm and Of excellent flavor in the colder belt
Of the sea upon the American coast, lose all
their good qualities when taken out of the
Gulf stream running parallel with it. On the
other har.d the more delicate marine produc-
tions. whether animal or vegetable, which mul-
tiply and prosper by warmth, are redundant
in the Gulf stream, even after it has omitted
the tropical regious whence its heat Is derived.
The food is thus matured for the whale field Of
the Azores, while the huge denizenS of the seas
flourish i'm cold waters amid the abundance 50
providcti-Eiiinbwrg Rerie,r.