The New York herald., 1922-10-08
Old Gulf Stream Fiction.
1t LIS Not the Cause Of the Mild
Climate Of Western Eurone.


tude OF certain Europeans regarding
the improvements at the southern ex-,
tremity OF Florida and their fear of
a shifting of the course of the Gulf
Stream with the result of freezing and
starving Europe. Reference Is made in
your paper OF October 4 to this subject. ,
ana especially to the last paragraph :.
thereof, wherein 1t is stated: - "a
The very nature Of ocean currents such a
as the Gulf Stream, caused by the wind -
and the motion Of the earth and affected -.
even by the moon. makes II all a ques- u
tion which scientists hesitate to explain
1t is believed that the following will,
iucidly and logically explain the Gulf ;
Stream and the cause of the mild cli- !.
mate on the west shore Of Europe and
also the Japanese current and the mild, !,
climate on the northwest shore OF North. ;,
America in about the same latitude :-r'
also the cold on the northeast shore Of,
North America and Asia in the same /;
latitude. ~, 49, "
II Is thought that these phenomena a. =.
can be attributed to the great heat Of.
the sun in the equatorial belt of the !.
earth plus the revolution OF the Garth on =
Its axis toward the east plus centrifugal =,
force toward the equator. This great ),
heat and force caused the air to fow.-
along the surface Of the earth toward. ),
the equator. Each instant of tho prog ,
ress OF the air southerly--north OF the =
equator-or northerly-south of the,r,~
equator-it crosses parallels of latitude
OF greater dimensions with consequent :,
greater velocity; the air current drags,,
on the surface of the earth. which gives ;.
1t direction which is the resultant Of
its course south to the equator and west
as 1t drags on the eartll's surface, caused =,
by greater circles of latitude as men,
toned above. This resultant north Of .
the equator is the northeast trade wind,
which is described in Columbus's account
OF the discovery of America. and through
which the writer has sailed many times. 4
South of the equator the resultant ofoe
forces Is the southeast trade wind. i
These winds have always blown in the %
same direction. and any person who has. q
lived along the coast knows the great
effect that wind has on a large expanse~
of water: sometimes blowing nearly allah
the water out of harbors and at other,
times banking the water high I'm hsrbors. !,
For thousands of years this constant, =
force from the northeast and southeast =,
has banked up the waters in the Carib- 7
bean Sea and Gulf Of Mexico and In the c
Indian Ocean. which banking causes the
waters to rush north and south along. u
tho eastern coasts Of the Eastern and Z
Western Hemispheres. the northerly cur
rents being known as the Japanese cur-Jo
rent and the Gulf Stream. t
The Gulf Stream meets the arctic /.
current just south Of the Grand Banks {
of Newfoundland, where its high tenn q
perature Is cooled and as decided cur -
rent 1t disappears practically. No Doubt
for thousands of years the Gulf Streama7
has been used in melting the icebergs ~
coming down with the arctic current, u
and the silt coming down on these ice c
fields after the leo has melted may bern
the cause of the growth Of the Grand .,
Banks Of Newfoundland. u;
Ship captains from Europe in sailing
ship days never considered the Gulfno
Stream until they reached the area o.
south of the Grand Banks Of Newfound-'c -
land. We havo the full force OF the .
Gulf Stream only a short distance away. r.
along the coast of the United States &c
yet we never hear of its keeping theno
climate of the United States, mild; but, n
Europe 9. thousand miles away from its -
unimportant termination claims it's mild g
climate is due to the Gulf Stream. IS
However the western shore OF Europe 4
has a mild climate and now let Us seek &c
it's cause. t-'a- 2"
The wind drawn into the torrid zone
by excessive heat and centrifugal force
rises and flows towards the poles; and
in about the latitude of Europe and the(
northern part of North America 1t de- -
scends to the earth's surface. t
As this wind starts on Its journey ~
with the rapid revolution of the equator =
toward the east and crosses each IN -
slant parallels OF latitude OF less speed
than the equator, when II settles to the =
earth In northern latitudes II seems to-
blow from, the west In sinking from =
high altitude. with rapid motion to-
ward the east to a low altitude with =
less motion to the east, the effect tends {"
further to make the wind blow from the ~
west
In fact this is the case : for the pre- a
vailing winds around the globe In the'A
latitude of Europe are from the west.
In the old sailing ship days II took our n
ship month to sail from the United !
States to Europe: but in the opposite1'
direction IL took about one and one-half
months.
The prevailing winds, being from the
moist. mild and equable marine climate
OF the ocean to the western shore Of
Europe and northwest North America. "
transfer in measure this marine cli- =
mate to those shores. -
IL one will only think: the puny efs
forts OF man around the southern point =
OF Florida must be entirely negligible
against the mighty forces OF nature. "
The public, however, has zealously ad-y
hcred to the Japan current and Gulf
Stream as being the cause OF the great
blessing of the mild climate to north -
west America and the western shore OF
Europe and 1t is believed the reason Of
this adherence lies principally In Its easy
repetition. rendering = long explanation y
unnecessary. q. Q. LEMON,
Colonel Signal Corps United States Army.
New York, October Z.
Rolleties. I'
TO THE New YoRK HERALD Can any,.