El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-05-17
The Mystery Of the Gulf Stream
Atlantic Engine Conveyance
By GARRETT P. SERVISS

You can see how this is II you take
a schOOl globe and set II spinning on
its axis Then you will perceive that
point near either pole moves only an
inch or less in the same time that a
point near the equator moves foot or
more. In fact. this motion of trans
latlOn increases from nothing exactly
at the pole to a thousand miles an
hour at the equator Now. imagine
yourself TO be moved suddenly from
the pole TO the equator. on would ap-
pear to be spinning through space
thousand miles an hour in direction
opposite TO that Of the earth's rota-
ton.
The air from the Arctic regions ex-
periences no such sudden increase OF
motion because II requires a long tine
to make the journey over the earth 8
surface But all the while il is moving
toward the equator ii is continually
finding the surface beneath II moving
faster eastward than IL was farther
north. and consequently, because IL
cannot instantly take up this increase
Of eastward motion itself. IL allows the
surface to turn beneath II; thus, with
regard TO that surface, II becomes a
westerly wind.
This IS the origin of the trade
Winds' which blow westward contln-
ually along each side Of the equator
These constant winds set the surface OF
the ocean in motion along with them
In that way a great current is set flow
ing in the Atlantic from the direction
OF Africa toward America When this
current encounters South America
larger part Of IL is sheered off north
westward. and entering the Caribbean
sea and the Gulf Of Mexico is heaped
up there, until il escapes again, mainly
through the straits of Florida, thus
giving birth TO the gulf stream This
stream. flowing nOrtneaStWard in the
north Atlantic, as we have already
said, gradually spreads wider and loses
its force, but not until II has crossed
2 no 4 IA
part Of this water. turning southwark
again in the middle of the Atlantic, Is
drawn once more into the westward
current caused by the trade winds, so
that the whole ocean is kept in mo-
ton like an enormous eddy. whose
northern edge moves eastward while
the southern edge moves westward
But while the principal cause OF this
wonderful circulation OF the ocean wa
ters is that which we have described,
yet minor influences also affect Il, the
chief of these being the winds that
blow across the Atlantic in a direction
which is mainly from the west toward
east These winds aid the circulation
of the water. and @ variation in their
force or direction may, at times. great
" affected the speed and trend of the
currents
Looking at all this broadly. we see
that In the great oceanic currents. ma
ture has solved q vast problem which
has always appealed 10 the imaginstiO
resources to solve for himself and that
is the utilization OF the earths rOta-
ton 10 produce mechanical power.
Through the Intervention of the con-
slant winds arising from the rotation,
nature transforms this force into a mo-
ton OF the sea waters. And. more than
that. by means of this motion. carrying
warm water from the equator toward
the poles. the climates of immense re-
giOns OF the earth ire changed widely
from what they would he If the ocean
were stagnaut- It has been calculated
that If all the oceanic currents were
the temperature of the eQUa-
tor would rise 50 degrees. and that OF
the poles would become SO degrees low
er than L present The British isles
and northern Europe would become al
most Arctic in climate. for the mean
temperature in the latitude OF London
would sink TO 10 degrees. It has also
been calculated that the quantity o.
heat daily conveyed nOrthward BIZ the
gulf stream is equivalent TO that re-
,etved by 100000 square miles Of the
7arth's surface under the perpendicu-
lar sun of the equator.