The times., 1900-12-30
NANsEN ON THE GULF STREAM.
Its Effect Upon European Weather
Great. But Variable.
(From the London Standard. }

tfrOm the LONDON
Prof Nsnsen has made the following
| statements with regard to the results Of
the experiments conducted during his last
| expedition on the Michael Sars, which has
lately returned to Norway. The Gulf
Stream, he says, is subject to great
changes, and very little is as yet known as
to its strength in winter. 1t was much
| weaker on the Norwegian Coast this year
| than usually is the case. and the temper
ature was consequently lower AT the same
time very warm summer has been exper-
| fenced in the west of Iceland. and the cur
rent that passes there was warmer this
summer than usual. In general, the warm
I water coming from the Atlantic into the
northern regions this summer appears to
| have had n different distribution than its
usual one. This is most important re-
CARDS the climatic conditions on the coasts
which the stream passes.
1t is generally admitted that the Gulf
Stream considerably affects the climate
OF the western coast of Britain and Nor
| way of Iceland and possibly even of
| Spitzbergen. The effect is most marked
in winter While the harbors of the Bal
tic are icebound those on the western
| coast of Norway, even as far north as
Hammerfest, are always open to shipping.
| In Great Britain the lines OF equal tenn
| perature in January run nearly north and
| as in July, so that anyone in Middles-
brough would find warmer climate in
midwinter by going to Whitehaven than
! by travelling due south to an equal dis
| tance. This also is one of the reasons
why Aberdeen at that time is much warm
! er than Vienna. The late eminent ma the
matician Dr. w Hopkins estimated that
without the Gulf Stream the mean annual
temperature of Carnarvonshire would be
seven and half degrees, that of the north
of Scotland fully twelve degrees and that
| of Iceland as much as twenty degrees low
er than at present.
From the Gulf of Mexico, where its
waters are raised to a warmth in winter
of II degrees Fahrenheit and II summer
| up to S3 degrees Fahrenheit, 1t issues like
! a huge river Of warmer water flowing over
the vast mass of the cooler ocean beneath.
As 1t issues from between Florida and
, Cuba il is equivalent to a stream about
fifty miles broad and more than a hun
dred fathOms deep. which Is then flowing
at rate OF from three TO four miles an
hour Gradually il spreads out like a
partly opened fan, the more eastern part
losing Itself in the Atlantic. the western
and stronger flowing steadily in north
easterly direction, and Tended off from the
American coast by the cold current which
Is returning southward from Arctic re-
gions. Thus it plays on northwestern Eu-
rope like stream flowing from hose and
the water which has left the Gulf OF
Mexico in the hot summer months prob
ably comes near to the other side OF the
Atlantic in the winter season. The amount
CT heat which it transfers estimated
by the late Dr. Croll as being equal to
what is received from the sun by rather
more than q million and a half square
miles at the equator.
This heat is slowly radiated by the
broad layer of flowing water as it jour-
neys from the boiler in the Gulf OF
Mexico to the refrigerator in Arctic seas.
But Prof Nansen's observations suggest
that the current does not always follow
precisely the same path. That. indeed. is
only to be expected. While its general
direction will be constant-for that de-
pends On great physical causes-minor
variations are possible. IT, for instance
the southwark flowing Arctic currents be
a little stronger than usual. they will push
the Gulf Stream rather more to the east
and then Iceland will suffer. II the OBJ
seryations were taken over a sufficiently
wide area of the North Atlantic. and for
long enough time, 1t might be possible
TO prophesy the direction which the Gulf
Stream would follow in its journey across
the Atlantic, and the places on which 1t
would have the greatest influence at any
particular time-in other words, to fcre-
tell what kind OF season the farmer
might expect