Aspects of nature, in different lands and different climates (Vol. 1 of 2): with scientific elucidationsHumboldt, Alexander von
Science
Aspects of nature, in different lands and different climates (Vol. 1 of 2): with scientific elucidations
Humboldt, Alexander von
Physical geography; Plant morphology; Science; South America -- Description and travel
From the 41st degree of latitude, the river of warm water, which has
been gradually diminishing in rapidity and increasing in breadth, turns
suddenly to the east. It almost touches the southern edge of the great
Newfoundland bank, where I found the greatest amount of difference
between the temperature of the warm water of the Gulf stream, and
that of the waters resting on the banks and subjected thereby to a
cooling process. Before the stream reaches the westernmost of the
Azores it divides into two branches, one of which, at least at certain
seasons, advances towards Ireland and Norway, and the other towards the
Canaries and the West Coast of Africa. This Atlantic rotatory movement,
(described by me in more detail in the first volume of my Voyage to
the Equinoctial Regions), explains the possibility of trunks of South
American and West Indian trees being carried, in spite of the trade
winds, to the coasts of the Canary Islands, and stranded there. I have
made many experiments on the temperature of the Gulf Stream in the
vicinity of the Banks of Newfoundland. The Stream brings the warmer
water of lower latitudes into more northern regions with much rapidity,
and I have thus found its temperature two or three degrees of Reaumur
(5° to 7° Fah.) higher than that of the adjacent unmoved masses of
water, which form as it were the banks of the warm oceanic river.
The flying fish of the tropics (Exocetus volitans) accompanies the warm
water of the Gulf Stream far into the temperate zone. Floating sea-weed
(Fucus natans), chiefly taken up by the stream in the Gulf of Mexico,
shews when a ship is entering the current, and the arrangement of the
branches of the sea-weed shews the direction of the movement of the
water. The mainmast of the English ship of war, the Tilbury, destroyed
by fire on the coast of San Domingo, was carried by the Gulf Stream
to the north coast of Scotland. Even casks filled with palm oil, the
remains of the cargo of a ship wrecked off Cape Lopez on the coast of
Africa, were carried in the same manner to Scotland[*], after having
twice traversed the whole breadth of the Atlantic; once from east to
west with the equatorial current between 2° and 12° N. lat., and once
from west to east by the aid of the Gulf Stream, between 45° and 55°
N. lat. Rennell, in p. 347 of the “Investigation of Currents,” relates
the voyage of a bottle with papers enclosed, thrown overboard by the
English ship Newcastle on the 20th of January, 1819, in lat. 38° 52′,
and long. 63° 58′, which was picked up on the 2nd of June, 1820, at
the Rosses, (near the Island of Arran), on the west coast of Ireland.
A short time before my arrival at Teneriffe a stem of South American
cedar (Cedrela odorata), well covered with lichens, had been cast
ashore in the harbour of Santa Cruz.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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