Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1917-03-28
STRANGE WORLD UNDER THE
SEA


finite variety and number off the
coast of California.
Some of the answers to this ques-
ton being discovered by the Scripps
Institution for Biological Research
are set forth in an Interpretation
of photographic Observations" writ
ten by George F. McEwen and just
issued in the University of Califor-
mia publications in zoology.
A satisfactory census Of the sea
must include not only knowledge of
its inhabitants, but of the conditions
under which they live, so Mr.. Nc
Even, as hydroapher for the
Scripps Institution, has been at work
five years, cruising about in the wat
ers off the coast Of California, max
ing thousands and thousands of sound
ings and hauls. and studying varia-
tons in the sea as regards temper
ature, light saltiness, gas content.
Movement Of currents, etc. knowledge
of these factors is necessary for true
understanding of the behavior and dis
tribution of the living creatures VI
the sea. ,-a
Great, valleys, deep beneath the
ocean, are revealed by the soundings
close to the California coast. ~ W
miles west of Catalina, for instance
is a submarine, valley into which
mountain a mile high could he
dropped and still ships could sail
safely over its summit. The no tain
tops Of Catalina are as high above
its ocean floor as the Sierra peak
above the Owens River Valley These
submarine depths are very different
from surface waters. Two hundred
feet down there is scarcely | per
cent, as much light as there is three
feet below the surface. Thirteen or
fourteen hundred feet below the
surface the temperature sum-
mer or winter is about A deg.
F., and stays about the same the year
round, while on the surface, few
miles west of the Coronaod Islands,
for instance, the water varies in mean
monthly temperature from minimum
of 81 up to 6S deg. F.
Automatic Cooler.
Now it has been proved that as
result of the displacement of sur
face waters by prevailing winds and
consequent changes in pressure, the
colder waters from the depths of the
sea come yelling up along the Cali
fornia shores and play great part
in producing the cool summer tenn
peratures which are such bless
ing to the coast region.
A striking example of such up
yelling of colder waters along the
coast is that the water just off-shore
from Point Dune, at the northern
end Of Santa Monice Bay, is nearly
10 deg. F. colder than the water in
the open channel over toward Cat
alma Island or San Clemente. At the
same moment the water along the
bathing beaches of Santa Monica Bay
will be nearly 10 deg. warmer than
~. water clos. by 1t Pint Dunn"
The explanation is thar from Point
Dune, Point Vicente and Point Fer
min submarine c.iffs ai;i molntai,.-
sides 60 plunging down beneath the
sea, until within a short distance
depth of more than zoos feet is at
tanned From these deep submarine
valleys colder waters upwell The
same phenomenon prevails from Men
docino county to point far down
the Lower California coast.
How greatly sea water may vary
in temperature within short dis
lance is shown by the fact that with
water at the harbor mouth of San
Diego Bay at temperature of &C
deg. F., the shallow waters in the
bay off National City registered 80
deg. F. A curious fact is that a
difference of several degrees has fire.
quently been observed in the temper
ature of water in samples taken not
sixty feet apart-near the Coronado
Islands, for instance.
The surface sea water off the coast
of California is coolest in February,
and warmest in August, but sea wa
ter is coolest in May at depths be-
low 100 feet, and below 40 feet warm
est in November
AS regards saltiness, the salinity of
the surface waters is least in Febru-
airy and greatest in July or August,
while at depth of 230 feet, say, it
is least salty in November and most
salty in April.
It is worth sea bather's while to
know that the prevailing daily varia-
ton of the waters near the coast is
being coolest between l and q IN.
and warmest between 5 and z p. m.
Blow eighty variation in temperature
but shallow waters on sunny days Of
course wary greatly.
The elaborate tables regarding the
photographic, plankton and drs!IlAS
records OF the Scripps Institution.
published by Scientific Director Will
liam r. Ritter, Ellis L. Michael and