The quantity of heat received in the latitude of London, for example,
is to that received at the equator nearly as 12 to 8. This, according
to theory, should produce a difference of about 125°. The temperature
of the equator above that of space, as we have seen, would be 374°.
Therefore 249° above that of space would represent the temperature
of the latitude of London. This would give 10° as its temperature.
The stoppage of all ocean and aërial currents would thus increase the
difference between the equator and the latitude of London by about
85°. The stoppage of ocean-currents would not be nearly so much felt,
of course, in the latitude of London as at the equator and the poles,
because, as has been already noticed, in all latitudes midway between
the equator and the poles the two sets of currents to a considerable
extent compensate each other—the warm currents from the equator
raise the temperature, while the cold ones from the poles lower it;
but as the warm currents chiefly keep on the surface and the cold
return-currents are principally under-currents, the heating effect very
greatly exceeds the cooling effect. Now, as we have seen, the stoppage
of all currents would raise the temperature of the equator 55°; that
is to say, the rise at the equator alone would increase the difference
of temperature between the equator and that of London by 55°. But the
actual difference, as we have seen, ought to be 85°; consequently the
temperature of London would be lowered 30° by the stoppage of the
currents. For if we raise the temperature of the equator 55° and lower
the temperature of London 30°, we then increase the difference by
85°. The normal temperature of the latitude of London being 40°, the
stoppage of all ocean and aërial currents would thus reduce it to 10°.
But the Gulf-stream raises the actual mean temperature of London 10°
above the normal. Consequently 30° + 10° = 40° represents the actual
rise at London due to the influence of the Gulf-stream over and above
all the lowering effects resulting from arctic currents. On some parts
of the American shores on the latitude of London, the temperature is
10° below the normal. The stoppage of all ocean and aërial currents
would therefore lower the temperature there only 20°.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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