The New York herald., 1922-10-15
Vagaries of the Gulf Stream
Natural Causes Are Continually Shifting Its Course,
but the Weather Is Not Affected Thereby.
By JACQUES w. REDwAY, F. R. c. S.

surrounding waters Between the Gulf
Stream and the coast Is a cold water
counter current flowing southward; and
small southbound craft frequently use
Its flow to gain knot or two in speed
OFF Cape Hatteras an adverse undercur-
rent appears seasonally at the surface,
meeting the Gulf Stream and throwing
the surface into the rips which naviga-
tors have named rather aptly Little
He'll"
Regularly reports are circulated. COM
Ing occasionally from Florida resorts,
giving the traditional news that the axis
of the Gulf Stream has changed, thereby
changing the climate of the south Allan
tic States. AS matter of fact there are
slight seasonal changes in the position
of the Gulf Stream, but they produce no
apparent change In the climate of the
Southern States or that of any other
part OF the world But to say that any
permanent or material change in the
Gulf Stream has taken place within
recent times is to make an assertion
without any basis whatever.
| Winds may. and frequently do. dis
! turb the surface waters of the Gulf
Stream. A favorable wind may accel-
erate the flow an adverse wind may not
only retard It but scatter the surface
waters to the one side or the other A
strong southerly or southeasterly wind
many times has blown warm surface
water out of the course OF the Gulf
Stream and has lodged 1t against the
coast.
This is likely to happen when the
high barometer at Bermuda indicates the
presence of the bank OF air known as
the stranded Bermuda high. These are
the misty. listless hot days OF July when
both men and dogs go mad and women
rush to fur neckwear. But the Gulf
Stream has not changed its position.
Quartering winds have blown warm
water out of 1t and cold water into it
for the time being.
The Gulf Stream has much to do with
the economies of the commerce of west
ern Europe but mighty little to do with
It's climate except In an indirect way. It's
flow does not reach within two thousand
miles of any part of Europe. But it
does carry an enormous volume of warm
water into the region OF westerly winds
and these same winds drag the warm
water into every nook and Granny Of the
west coast. keeping the harbors free
from Ice throughout the long winters.
Even at Hammerfest within the arctic
circle, the harbors are rarely. If ever.
ice locked.
The mild climate of western Europe
has practically no relation to the Gulf
Stream. The prevailing winds Of west
ern Europe are from the west and south
west. They are ocean winds and there
fore moist. Chilled by their intrusion
into northerly latitudes they drop their
moisture in the form OF rain or of snow
even before reaching the coast. Now,
for every pound OF water condensed
I from the air enough latent heat is set
free to warm about half ton of water
ono degree in temperature.
This enormous amount OF heat Is prac-
tically locked up in low latitudes. trans
ferred to high latitudes and there set
free. And even were the Gulf Stream to
be put out of existence altogether the
effects would not be anywhere like those
Professor Berget describes. There might
not be as much warm drift, but the
4 climate of western Europe would not be
materially different from that OF Brit
ish Columbia. Possibly there might be
more ice in the harbors.
Closing the gaps between the keys
along the Florida coast cannot possibly
affect the volume of flow OF the Gulf
Stream or change it's position. No part
Of the Gulf Stream reaches the keys
moreover. engineering constructions are
not built across the Gulf Stream but
parallel to IT a dozen miles from It,