The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1922-02-02
aGULF STREAM FALLAcY.v
Climate of England Not Affected by
the Current.

There are still some scientists, It ap-
pears. who hold the theory that our
climate Is affected by the gulf stream.
AT the annual meeting of the Science
Masters association the theory was
re stated by Mr.. Douglas Berridse OF
Malvern college. Sir Richard Gregory,
however pointed out that anyone who
has studied the gulf stream faliaey
knows that the stream never goes farth
err east than Newfoundland, and that
our climate does not in the least de-
pend upon it.
1.-THE Gulf Stream Sir Richard ex-
planned in an interview with repre-
sentative of the Observer, sis only an
incidental part Of the general circuia !
ton of the waters of the north ATTAIN
Tie. and has no more to do with causing
this circulation than the proverbial fly
had in moving the wheel on which 1t
rested. 1t cannot be distinguished east
of Newfoundland. and has been proved
to lose itself in the Atlantic long before
it reaches our shores. II il therefore,
quite illusory to suppose that the gulf
stream, as such has any influence upon
Britoish climate.
THE relatively warm water which
flows north-eastwards from the region
south of the Great Banks of Newfound I
land is now usually called the north
Atlantic current of the European cur
rent. This is the current which washes
the coast of Europe and fills the seas
and channels adjacent to our islands.
II is not, however, merely ques-
tion whether we call the ocean waters
which come TO our islands from the
southwest the gulf stream, gulf stream
drift. or European current. The main
point is that our climate advantage
must not be ascribed so much to warm
water as to wind. The mild winters
of our western coasts are not due TO
tile heating of air by contact with a
surface OF warm water brought by a
current from warmer regions, but to
the fact that the air itself has come
from these warmer regions and is
charged with abundant moisture which
sets free vast quantities of hea Wien
the yapor is condensed TO form rain.
"rhe effective cause of oceanic cir
enlation IN wind-action. The trade
winds give rise 20 the great equatorial
currents and tend to heap up. ocean
waters ON the eastern sdes of continen-
tai masses The gulf stream is a cur
rent by which some Of this heaped up
water in the Atlantic escapes north
wards, but it is really nothing but a
rill Of warm water compared with the
depth OF the ocean below IL.
"There is a prevailing drift of the al
mosphere eastward and north eastward
over the north Atlantic and this causes
the entire surface of the ocean north of
the region of the trade winds TO have
general movement towards the north
east. The aerial currents which pro
ducc this movement also distribute
over Europe the heat they have derived
from lower ATTITUDES.
sThe predominant winds in these is
lands are southwest and west, and
these are also the rainiest. In water the
most rainy districts are in general the
warmest from east TO west. thus in
dicating that the chief source Of heat
i then the relatively warm wind blow
ing from the Atlantic.
IF the temperature of our island de-
pended upon latitude alone and no
mild and yapour- bearing winds reached
us from Off the Atlantic, We should
probably be exposed to cold as severe
as that experienced at Labrador, where
the temperature in winter often falls to
thirty or forty degrees below zero. As
II is. London has the same mean aver
age temperature about fifty-one de-
grees--as Philadelphia, which is $50
miles nearer the equator. and Edin-
burch is warmer on the average than
Halifax, Nova Scotia. which is 200
miles to the southwark.
~The gull stream fallaey," Sir Rich.
ard added, has been exposed over and
over again; yet people accept it to-day
almost as confidently as they did in the
days of my youth, wher a common sub
iect of discussion at debating societies
was that of the influence which Pana
ma canal would have upon thcclirsteof
the British Isles by the supposed diver
sion which it'would effect upon the
direction Of the stresm.-London OBJ
server.