The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-06-14
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QUIZ s,u.am 10 N. Atlantis and ~. alleged
sne-, ~ ih,- current UPON ths climate of
western Europe. TLs guota'!ors IA hat
a%r,i,I. from sugh -4rntifc hsdsrs ~ Gar
p.n'rr. lhlchahan. Alexander tsa~-ig.
FnIlay. rhoul., anil others clcarly shovel
,h,, all ,lr evidence O'll'S-t.d from N"
time ~ ~. q illrns-r -pundihgr painted
unr,l~takahlv 20 the disappearance ~ ~"
Gulf str-1m a. q d'-tinc,, trlc~rhie ctr
r-n' a rt'I- 20 the southeast % Nrwfnunl-
laad Occunugr1phrrs had proVesl IN fact
TIA, N. Gulf Stream crs-ss 70 exist before
reaching the MID ttlahtir. and having
s~.,,,ls. this question beyond all disput.
they naturally tssan ~ combat the idea.
prumulea,eV! by that gifted scientific " ritter,
Lieut. Nsurv. a half century ago. hat It
was the CUT stream which. crossing N"
Atlantic, warmed the western coast Of
Eirur-, AMI k-I' the tarhor ~ Fnnm"r-
fest. within he Arctic Circle. fnre from irr.
Som. textbooks. -tiil u-Si In our schools.
as.ert that northwest turoI-' would d. n
howllny arctic waste " u w"r- not for N"
genial innGcnc-- brought To it's shores hy
the warm Gulf Stream This fact Illus
trstcs the por.istsrry Of error when once
universally nccertcd rs truth and pDwer-
frlly impressed upon the popular iragina-
ton. Tie Proceedings " the Royal Geo
graphical Society predicted. ten OF twelve
years ago, that IL will probably take q
generation OF two to eradicate the old err
roneous notions Of Textbooks and popular
tr-atiscs concerning tho Gull! Stream
Tho present prcsperts. happily, are that
IL IN not take morr than q generation after
the scientific rpvo., against Naury's base
less thsory began to enllshten the text
book writer's md d'~sillusionizs tho school
TEACHERS.
In none Of the best reference books,
aliases and maps Of to-day Is tho Gulf
Stream represented a. extending TO tho
European coast. The truth discovered
by tho occanographrrs that the stream
di-appears In midoccsu Is being spread
abroad With powerful iteration and enpla-
sis. The actual causes - the mild climate
OF western Europa discovered through the
accumulation Of proven facts Ia the domain
of meteoroIogy. are having wider and wider
circulation through popular a. well as
scientific publications. A few months ago,
the Montip Weather RsSer published 10y
our Government and edited by Prof Clevo-
land Able, ono ~ the leading m~etcorologi.ts
contained an able article exposing the fall
lacie- Of the old Gulf Stream theory and
giving the conclusions of modern science
n 20 the causes Of the mild climate of west
ern Europe. The scent publications Of
the Dsufschs Seeearfs Of Hamburg. devoted
20 photography and marine clima,oiogy
and those Of the British photographic
Once have left tho Gulf Stream myth
nothing Ia stand on.
Tho latest and one Of the most valuable
contributions to this subject is an article in
the current number e Scr.bnsr's Mdodnas
on This Gulf Stream MYTH and tho Anti
Cyclone by Harvey VI. Watts 81 Phila-
delphis an article that II not only scicn-
tinc but also written In q manner 20 iut.rcst
and eiify unscientihc readers. Mr. Watts
IL one OF the increasing number Of writer's
who are showing hat a scientific topic NAV
lie adequately treated without being CARRIED
In an unattractivp literary dress. The arti-
cl. gives the history Of the origin and pro-
mitigation Of the belief that the Gulf Stream
il the sole cause OF the mild oceanic climate
Of western Europe. The writer shows how
completely this theory failed 20 grasp tho
profound influence Of tho drift 81 the atmos-
pherr in determining the nature ~ weather
hlNA AAAAa' ~ - NV ~ 80 INV
the prevailing air current blowing from
tn" Atlantic to the lands Of Europe that
giyrs a genial character 70 tho climate 81
tho~" far northern regions.
II would y" to tho advantage 81 most
teachers Of geography Ia read and study
~ clear an exposition a. this article gives
OF our present knowledge ~ tho laws Of
atmospheric circulation and tho eject Of
these air curroats In different parts Of
the world.
The gust 81 the whole matter. as far As il
relates 10 the climate OF west Europe. il
that since the atmospheric drift In the
temyerat. zones Is from west to east. this
that all coasts and countries hat
lie east % oceans AVE transferred to them
am"liorations while the eastern
10 continents naturally receive the
atmospheric drifr a. affected bv the LAND
masses over which II has travelled 4"
This - the reason why England has a
mild climate and fifty little ports 80 Norway
arr oJ-n all winter. the Influence - tho mid
Atlantic basin is carricd by the air 20 the
west coast r-gions 81 Europe. giving them
their oceanic climate, whilo Labrador,
further north. rcC-iving the air currents
II arCtic and sul.lrctiC America AMI not II
IN" ocean. IL frigid when IL had been
fully demonstrates that tho Gulf Stream
theory was n drlusion II would not have
h--'n possible 20 show - clearly a. Mr..
Watts has lone In his lbl" art cle The mo
teorological causes that determine tho
difference h"tvcrn the Cl'mi'"Sof England
and Labrador Tho, modern belief is
up in a few paragraphs which
Mr. Watts quotes from Prpf thbc. = part
uf which are given here
The circulation ~ air in the northeast
part of the Atlanta Ocean determines
the mild character % western Europe 10y
Tho mpistur" and warmth IL
the Atlantic Ocean surface n a whoi" and
that ~ tho Gulf Stream. since there H. no
apparent Gulf Stream IN thrs" attitudes
The warmth II tho southwest winds 81
EuruI-, Is due Ia the moisture they contain.
which gives up Ne latent heat when u he
comr- cloud and rain n" winds take
this mnistur" from IN" surface ~ the
ocean when the latter Is warmed up hy
the sunshine and they would 30 the -am"
" there were no ,,ulf Stream In the Straits
Of Florida
iItS Abiding Path.