River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1904-08-25
GULF STREAM QUIcKENS.
Accelerated Pace of the Ocean Tids
Regarded as Important by
Seafaring Men.

If the stories told by mariners about
the heightened velocity of the gulf
stream Of late be correct an explanation
of the phenomenon ought not to be hard
to find, says the New York Tribune.
Surface currents in the ocean result
from the action { he wind The water
which issues FROM the Gulf of Mexico
and flows enthusiastically from the
southern extremity of Florida comes
originally from that portion of the At
lantic lying near the equator. The trade
winds of one hemisphere, blowing from
the northeast, and those of the other
hemisphere, blowing from the south
east, cooperate in forcing the upper
layers of the sea into the belt of Gains,
where the water acquires a westward
motion. BY the intervention of the con-
tinent the current is split and the direc-
ton which is then taken is materially
altered, but the impetus impaired by
natures great marine pumping engine is
not lost. In all probability the freer
discharge which has just been reported
means that this piece of invisible mech
anism has, temporarily at least, been
working little harder than usual.
The trade winds, like all other winds,
result from differences in atmospheric
pressure. Near the equator the barom-
eter usually reads much lower than it
does 20 or % degrees away. These high
and low pressure systems oscillate
northward and southwark with the sea-
sons, but their organization is main
tanned the year round. Variations in
the amount of difference-in what the
'meteorologists Gale the gradient
are also observed and it may be assumed
that one has recently occurred which has
tended to increase the velocity of the
winds Such an effect might be pro-
duced in either one of two ways. There
might have been diminution Of pres
sure near the equator, or there might
| have been an unusual barking up of the
air along the tropics. Owing to the lack
of observatories at sea 1t will probably
be impossible to say which of these two
| influences has operated. international
barometric charts show, however that
over the continents and islands de-
partures of this sort from average con-
OltlOnS are not at I'LL uuCOmuOu.
A deficiency or an excess of atmos-
pheric pressure in one part of the globe
must be compensated for somehow else
where. The volume of the air remains
the same. 1t is the distribution only that
changes. In time it will doubtless be
possible to correlate eccentricities OBJ
served simultaneously in widely sepa-
rated regions. The discovery of one
would thus serve to explain the other to
some extent and possibly come to have
prophetic value Interpretation and
forecasting would also be facilitated,
perhaps, If part of this strange be-
havior of the atmosphere could be con-
nected with changes in the amount Of
solar radiation or with marked differ
ences in the ease with which the suns
heat is able to penetrate the earth's
gaseous envelope. Researches having
that object in view are in progress in this
country and in Europe. 1t is not yet
possible to say what will be the result,
but it is excusable to hope that the re-
searches will prove fruitful