Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1868-12-11
THE PACIFIC OCEAN RIVER.
The Gulf Stream of the Western sess
Its influence on the Pacific Coast.
TFrcm Lippincott's Magazine, I

ocean river of warm water, remarkably
analogous to the Gulf Stream of the
Atlantic, but of greater volume, greater
velocity and higher temperature. The
main body of the Japanese warm stream
stretches from the coast of NipEon, in
latitude 35 degrees, eastward and north
ward through the broad Pacific, $500
nautical miles, to about latitude 48 de-
grees and longitude l48 degrees, where
it is within 500 or 900 miles of the
American coast. 1t there divides, and
the greater part continues toward the
coast of Queen Charlotte and Vancouver
Islands, and thence down the coast of
Washington, Oregon and California,
stamping we'll known pecuIarities upon
that coast climate. The smaller part
continues to the coast of the Alexander
Archipelago; is thence DETECTED to the
northward and westward along the shores
of the great Gulf of Alaska, and, en-
bracing the Kadiak group, it follows the
southeast shore of the Alaska peninsula
and outlaying islands, and thence con-
tinues southwark and westward past the
eastern part of the Aleutian chain. Here
it joins the current coming through the
middle of the chain of islands from Behr-
ing Sea, and it can be traced southwark
until it strikes the northern edge of the
great stream, forcing it southwark AMI
undermining it. Were observations
wanting to sustain this deduction, the
well established fact of japanese jlnks
having been carried by the maiu stream
between 1000 and 5000 miles, to the
coast Of Oregon and Washington, and
there wrecked, would demonstrate it
AS late as 1888 japanese junk was
wrecked near Cape Flattery, in latitude
As degrees, on the coast of Washington;
and about 1854 junk was relieved in
mid ocean, in the center of this great
stream, being slowly but irresistibly car
ried to the American coast. This great
Japan stream, in longitude l65 deg west,
or nearly l,46O miles from our coast,
has breadth of over 1900 miles. and
a temperature of rs deg. on its southern
limit, in latitude 20 deg, and 81 degrees
on its northern edge, in latitude 43 deg,
being ii deg. to Is deg. warmer than
the variable returning currents north of
it. Off the Alaska coast, 10 latitude 81
deg, the temperature of the surface wa
ter was observed on this expedition to be
from 80 to so deg in August and Sep
tember, while the average temperature of
the air was almost uniformly three deg.
higher. In the Gulf of Alaska the cur
rent of the north branch has, at times, a
velocity as high as SO miles per day;
near the Sannakh Island we found an
EXCEPTIONALLY strong current, running
three or four knots an hour, part of which
may, however, have been tidal current
toward the Unimak Strait into Behring
Sea.
When the great Japan stream leaves
the coast of Niphon, small branch,
called the Kamschatka current" con-
tnues along the Asatic coast, through
the western part of Behring Sea and
Behring Strait, to the Arctic Ocean, with
velocity at times of one and half
miles per hour through the Strait. Part
of this mass of water, just before reach
ing the Strait, is DETECTED eastward by
the islands south of 1t, sweeps round the
American coast, receives the waves of
the great rivers Kvichpak, Kuskovin,
etc., and circles southwark and westward
/, through the middle Of the Aleutian chain,
affecting their climate remarkably. At
the island of St. Lawrence, in latitude
SO degrees. the temperature of this
warm stream is AZ degrees; north of the
Aleutians ~ degrees; near these islands
and south of them 40 degrees. At the
head of the Unalaska Bay we observed
the temperature of the surface water to
be As - degrees in the middle of Sep
TENDER. Between this current and the
Asiatic coast Polar current works its
way southwark, exactly as the Polar cur
rent follows our eastern coast inside the
gulf stream. Two out of many remark
able proofs in the cumulative observa-
tons leading TO the above deductions
are, that, north of the coast of Nippon,
Japanese woods and disabled vessels are
never thrown upon the Asiatic shores,
but upon the westernmost Of the Aleu-
tians, upon the American coast north of
the Alaska Peninsula, cId even into the
Arctic Ocean; and that icebergs are new
er carried by the current from the Arctic
Ocean to Behring Sea.
The influence of these great volumes
of warm water upon the coast climate of
Alaska, as well as that further south, is
perhaps even more marked than the in
fluence of the Gulf Stream of the At
lantic upon the coast of Europe. The
results of the condensation of the warm
vapor laden air, and the consequent pre-
cipitatiou of rain, by the older and drier
airs of the continent, are exhibited in the
enormous and quick growth of the tim
Der; the rapid Development of grasses
and plants; the carpet of moss that COW
ers the sea coast region as far south as
Vancouver Island; the high thermal con-
dition of the air; The very small differ
ence between the temperatures of the
wet and dry bulb thermometers, indica-
ting slow evaporation; the non formation
at Sitka, in latitude 81 degrees and
minutes, of ice clear and solid enough
for the California market; the existence
of timber seven degrees further north
than on our eastern coast; the "gay
Howar, - onJ q 4 ba md most Ioo,,