I: 125 5 ►py 1 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOLUME 60. NUMBER 13 A STUDY OF THE SALINITY OF THE SURFACE WATER IN THE NORTH PACIFIC OCEAN AND IN THE ADJACENT ENCLOSED SEAS BY AUSTIN HOBART CLARK (Publication 2153) CITY OF WASHINGTON PUBLISHED BY THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION DECEMBER 4, 1912 Moi^«! p^ ^' -^' I Oh SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOLUME 60, NUMBER 13 A STUDY OF THE SALINITY OF THE SURFACE WATER IN THE NORTH PACIFIC OCEAN AND IN THE ADJACENT ENCLOSED SEAS BY AUSTIN HOBART CLARK ^ (Publication 2153) CITY OF WASHINGTON PUBLISHED BY THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION DECEMBER 4, 1912 BALTIMORE, MD., U. S. A. 0. Of Or DEC 9 1912 (^'^4 \> A STUDY OF THE SALINITY OF THE SURFACE WATER IN THE NORTH PACIFIC OCEAN AND IN THE ADJACENT ENCLOSED SEAS By AUSTIN HOBART CLARK CONTENTS PAGE Preface ' ^ The limits of error in the observations 4 The rejection of inaccurate readings 5 Calculation of the constant representing the instrumental error 6 Brief resume of the conditions found in the North Pacific 9 Meteorological conditions tending to lower the salinity of the Pacific, while increasing the salinity of the Atlantic I5 The seasonal variation in the salinity of the water off the Californian Coast 15 The Bering Sea I7 Synopsis of the salinity observations taken during the 1906 cruise of the " Albatross " I9 Narrative • • ^i An observation on the intermingling of river and ocean water 24 Comparison of figures with those previously published 24 PREFACE During the 1906 cruise of the United States Fisheries steamer " Albatross " in the North Pacific Ocean and in the Bering, Okhotsk, Japan, and Eastern Seas, I devoted considerable attention to the question of the salinity of the water through which the ship passed. Though much has been accomplished, thanks chiefly to the activity of the Russian Admiralty, in the working out of the con- ditions along the Asiatic shores and, thanks to the ships of the German merchant marine, both steam and sail, in the elucidation of the conditions from Seattle southward, very little has been done on the American side north of Puget Sound and in the Bering Sea; therefore particular pains were taken to make the records for this area especially complete. Water specimens were taken by the quartermaster at 8 a. m. and at 8 p. m., and at once put into 18 oz. crown glass bottles which Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections, Vol. 60, No. 13 I 2 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 6o were tightly corked. As a rule samples of the surface water were also taken whenever the ship was stopped for dredging. On account of the motion of the ship and because of the great amount of other more pressing work to be done it was not possible to work out the density of the water specimens at sea. They were there- fore allowed to accumulate in the laboratory until a harbor or quiet anchorage was reached when the accumulation was disposed of. The variation in the reading of my salinometers resulting from changes in temperature was not known. But any error arising from such variation was eliminated so far as possible by taking the read- ings always in approximately the same temperature, the water samples being stored in a room in which the temperature was at all times fairly constant. There are three important sources of error involved in the method of storing water samples in cork stoppered soft glass bottles until such time as determination is possible. The water will dissolve a certain amount of the glass, thus mcreasing the density ; irregularities from this source, however, are probably negligible so far as my results are concerned, because of the large probable error involved in the method used. Again the date and time of day, or the station number, were written on paper labels and placed in the water ; of course the sizing and certain other of the constituents of the paper and of the pencil lead dissolved out, increasing the salt content of the water ; but the labels used were of uniform size and composition, and the amount of writ- ing was always the same so that approximately the same error is involved in each reading and may be considered as compensated in the general correction applied. The third source of error lies in the evaporation through and around the corks ; occasionally there is an evident discrepancy due to this cause (as for instance in Nos. 9 and 12), but ordinarily the error was probably so small as to be, in view of the probable error as calculated, negligible. In the rough northern waters it was often necessary to retain water samples for several days ; but here it was cold and damp and evaporation was reduced to a minimum ; in the south determinations could be made much more frequently, and this source of error was largely eliminated. The apparatus used in determining the specific gravity of the water was Hilgard's ocean salinometer, and the specific gravities were all reduced to the standard temperature of 60° Fahr. ( I5°.56 C.) . The tables employed in this reduction are given in the Report of the Commissioner of Fish and Fisheries for 1883 (1885), p. 78. recalculated to S -/~:ro from the original figures. NO. 13 SALINITY OF PACIFIC SURFACE WATER — CLARK 3 The standard used by Makaroff in his work was S J^^^o , he having been induced to recalculate his observations to this standard because of its very general use among oceanographers of other nations, especially by the Germans. In his monograph he includes the salinity records for the Pacific determined by the " Challenger " and other ships 17:5^ 1 7. 5' The standard used by the Bureau of Fisheries has generally been S ^'c^o , though on one or two of the earlier cruises it appears to have been S^^b — , corresponding to that of the " Challenger." In the following calculation of an empirical correction for my IS. ""6° figures no account is taken of the difference between S '^^o - and 17.=;° S Tyto for the reason that such slight differences as exist (Professor Kriimmel gives an average of —0.00013 for the difference between S '''^•■^^ and S ^^'"^o I ^^^ pracitically constant between the extremes 15-50 17-5 / recorded on this cruise. In this paper I have employed figures representing the specific gravity of the water rather than the amount of dissolved salts ex- pressed in grammes per liter for the reason that almost all of the previous records for the area under consideration are so given, and therefore the use of the older method renders my figures more readily comparable with those of previous observers. Absolute accuracy is not claimed for the figures representing the specific gravities herein recorded ; indeed the author is well aware that absolute accuracy cannot possibly be secured by the method used under the limitations imposed by a voyage of this character. Nansen has shown the difficulties in the way of salinity determination by salinometer, even with the precautions taken by him, and in the case of my determinations and subsequent calculations the taking of any but the most obvious precautions meant the expenditure of a con- siderable amount of time and thus became impossible. But the figures have a distinct comparative value and, in the absence of other data for much of the region covered, may be taken as affording an approximate index of the conditions in the seas traversed by the ship. SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 60 As my time was too fully occupied in other work to permit of my devoting my personal attention to it, the greater part of the actual determination of the densities was done by Mr. Leonard M. Tongue, the clerk of the ship, under my supervision. Mr. Tongue's familiarity with the instruments and his conscientious devotion to the scientific work of the ship combined to make his calculations reliable within a comparatively small limit of personal error. In addition to surface specimens, samples of water were, so far as possible, taken at the same time from the circulating pump the intake of which is about four feet below the surface. This water was drawn from the tap in the laboratory, enough water being first allowed to run off entirely to clear the pipe from the laboratory to the sea. It was not believed that the modification of the water on its passage through this pipe, which was constantly in use, could be sufficient to be detected by the method used in the determination of the specific gravities. Many of the salinity determinations taken at the surface during this cruise are included, without correction or comment, in the dredg- ing and hydrographic records of the cruise (Bureau of Fisheries Document No. 621, 1907, pp. 1-50). It was necessary in distributing our zoological material for study to provide each of our collaborators at the same time with the data of each dredge haul. Immediately upon our return to San Francisco, therefore, Mr. Tongue compiled these records from our undigested notes taken at sea. THE LIMITS OF ERROR IN THE OBSERVATIONS There were fifty observations taken on the water from the circu- lating pump; in three instances these readings were identical with those taken from water dipped from the surface (Nos. 24, 64 and 73) ; in twenty-four instances they were greater, as follows: No. i: (No. 9: No. 18: No. 19: No. 25 : No. 27: No. 28: No. 29 : No. 32 : No. 40 : No. 46 : No. 51: 0.00044 0.00286) 0.00020 0.00003 0.00006 0.00018 0.00023 0.00003 0.00014 0.00009 0.00005 0.00003 No. 57: 0.00005 No. 60: 0.00030 No. 62: O.OOOIO No. 66: 0.00016 No. 81: 0.00003 No. 91: 0.00004 No. 93: 0.00008 No. 94: 0.00056 No. 97: 0.00092 (No. 99: 0.00207 ) No. 124: 0.00008 No. 129: 0.00021 and in twenty-three instances less, as follows NO. 13 SALINITY OF PACIFIC SURFACE WATER — CLARK No. 2: 0.00042 No. 42 O.OOOII No. 4: 0.00030 No. 43 0.00015 (No. 5: 0.00119) No. 50 0.00003 No. 7: 0.00035 No. 61 0.00005 No. 10: 0.00041 No. 72 0.00016 No. II : 0.00065 No. 83 O.OOOIO (No. 12: 0.00385) No. 84 0.00006 No. 13: 0.00023 No. 86 0.00006 No. 22 : 0.00019 No. 92 0.00019 No. 30: 0.00009 No. no 0.00023 No. 41 : 0.00041 No. 120 : No. 0.00018 115 0.00038 In the cases in which the reading from the circulating pump was greater than that from the surface water (excluding No. 9 in which the surface reading, from rain or some other cause, is obviously abnormally low ; and No. 99 in which the reading from the circu- lating pump, probably because of evaporation, is obviously too high) we find a variation between 0.00092 (No. 97) and 0.00003 (Nos. 19, 29, 51 and 81), with a mean of 0.00018. In the cases in which the reading from the circulating pump was less than that from the surface water (excluding Nos. 5 and 12 in which the surface reading is obviously too high) we find a variation between 0.00065 (No. 11) and 0.00003 (No. 50), with a mean of 0.00022. The fact that the variation was plus in twenty-four instances and minus in twenty-three with no variation in three, that there is no cor- relation between the variation and the latitude, and that the average of all the variation (+0.00018 — 0.00022) is —0.00004, a quantity altogether too small to be detected by the instruments used, shows that in reality the diiTerence in the water at the surface and a few feet below it is entirely negligible, not falling within the scope of pos- sible detection by the instruments used. This being so we have a personal and fortuitous error of 0.00018 + 0.00022 = 0.00040 to take into consideration so that, under the best of conditions we must admit of a possible variation of ±0.00020 from the truth. This shows graphically the absolute insignificance of the figures in the fifth decimal place and their entire dependence upon chance. THE REJECTION OF INACCURATE READINGS. Assuming that the readings from the surface and from the circu- lating pump are, so far as lies within the power of our instruments to detect, the same, we are able to compare the two readings and in SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 60 many cases to reject one of them as probably less accurate than the other. Where two readings were taken those which are probably the most nearly correct are (discarding the insignificant fifth deci- mal) as follows : No. I : 1. 0212 No. 50: 1.0253 No. 2 : 1.0257 No. 51: 1.0253 No. 4 : 1.0259 No. 57: 1.0253 No. 5 : 1.0256 No. 60: 1.0254 No. 7 1.0257 No. 61: 1.0253 No. 9 • 1. 025 1 No. 62: 1.0253 No. 10 : 1.0252 No. 64: 1.0253 No. II • 1.0218 No. 66: 1.0253 No. 12 1.0252 No. 72: 1.0252 No. 13 1.0243 No. 73-' 1.0252 No. 18 1.0244 No. 81: 1.0248 No. 19 1.0250 No. 83: 1.0251 No. 22 1.0250 No. 84: 1.0252 No. 24 : 1.0250 No. 86: 1.0253 No. 25 1.0250 No. 91: 1.0253 No. 27 1.0254 No. 92: 1.0253 No. 28 1.0253 No. 93: 1.0253 No. 29 1.0252 No. 94: 1.0254 No. 30 : 1.0252 No. 97: 1.0260 No. 32 : 1.0247 No. 99: 1.0263 No. 40 : 1.0253 No. no: 1. 0261 No. 41 : 1.0254 No. 115: 1. 0261 No. 42 : 1.0254 No. 120: 1.0257 No. 43 : 1.0253 No. 124: 1.0258 No. 46: 1.0253 No. 129: 1.0260 CALCULATION OF THE CONSTANT REPRESENTING THE INSTRUMENTAL ERROR During the cruise of the " Albatross " among the Philippine Islands two hundred and twent3^-one observations of the surface density were taken, with the instruments which I myself had used in 1906 ; these observations show considerable variation, but the average is I-024533- There were also taken on the same cruise eighty observations of the salinity below 100 fathoms ; these Hkewise exhibit a considerable amount of variation, and give an average of 1.025048. The records for the eighty-four observations taken among the Philippine Islands below the surface are in detail as follows: NO. 13 SALINITY OF PACIFIC SURFACE 34 fms . 1.02386 50 '•■ 1.02523 78 " 1.02516 96 " 1-02551 102 " 1.0245 1 105 " 1.02496 108 " 1.02476 118 " 1.02496 122 " 1.02526 140 " 1.02482 148 " 1.02597 148 " 1.02506 150 '' 1.02513 150 " i.o2sr.'? ■ 155 " 1.02509 159 " 1. 025 1 7 162 " I.O?y\?l 170 " 1.02489 172 " 1.02359 173 " 1.02468 174 " I.O2513 177 " 1.02496 178 " 1.02523 178 '' 1.02496 180 " I.O25IO 186 " 1.025 10 191 " 1.02489 193 " I.02517 193 " 1.02467 195 " 1.02447 198 " 1.02468 201 " 1.02538 208 " 1.02456 212 " 1.02593 214 " 1.02354 215 " 1.02465 218 " 1.02485 218 " 1.02468 220 " 1.02509 220 " 1.02500 224 " 1.02525 225 " 1.02492 averages are : o-ioo fms. 1.02494 100-150 " 1.02505 150-200 " 1.02482 200-250 " 1.02487 250-300 " 1.02480 300-350 " 1.02494 WATER —CLARK 230 fms. 1.02496 231 " I.O2513 234 " 1.02484 244 " 1.02482 248 " 1.02517 249 " 1.02482 258 " I.02516 265 " 1.02430 272 " I.02/12I 280 " I.O2517 295 " 1.02482 299 " 1.02502 300 " 1.02495 310 " 1.02543 312 " 1.02484 340 " 1.02454 375 " 1.02576 379 " 1. 02521 380 '' 1.02459 393 " 1.02480 394 " 1.02468 411 " 1.02475 422 « 1.02566 450 " 1.02556 494 " 1.02522 502 " 1. 02457 515 " 1.02523 524 '' 1.02538 525 " 1.02577 530 " 1.02467 554 " 1.02497 564 " 1.02533 565 " 1.02505 584 " 1.02535 604 " 1. 02441 612 " 1.02516 638 " 1.02492 730 " 1.02564 745 " 1.02548 775 " 1.02606 958 " 1.02516 1804 " 1.02574 350- 400 fms. 1. 02501 400- 450 " 1.02532 450- 500 " 1.02522 500- 600 " 1. 025 14 600- 700 " 1.02483 700-1804 " 1. 0256 1 8 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 6o Comparing the known average density of the surface water of the Philippine archipelago, about 1.02675, "^i^h the average of the ob- servations taken by the " Albatross," 1.02453, we find the latter to be 0.00222 too low. Possibly part of the difference is due to the excess of salinities taken near the shore in the '' Albatross " records. Comparing the known average density of the deep water of the Pacific, 1.02650, with the average of the eighty observations taken by the ''Albatross " below 100 fathoms, 1.025048, we find the latter to be 0.00145 too low. A glance at the records suggests that the difference really is somewhat greater, for the water bottles evidently did not always contain water from the depth to which they were sub- merged. A similar comparison of the densities as given by Makaroff, and as determined by myself in the same localities at six well separated places show my observations as calculated to be too low by 0.00136, 0.00184, 0.00215, 0.00210, 0.00115 and 0.00175. If we average these differences between the observations taken on the " Albatross " and those taken by the British, German, Swedish and Russian ships we will get a correction which, when applied to the former, will make them comparable to the latter, or at any rate nearly enough so for the purposes of the present study. The average of these eight differences is 0.00175, which is the correction which will be used throughout this paper. The average of my six obser- vations which are comparable to those of Makaroff*, all of which were calculated by the same observer, is 0.00173. On plotting my observations, corrected b}^ comparison with the determinations of Makaroff on the western side of the Pacific upon a chart, I found that one of my stations was almost on the exact spot occupied by a station recorded by Lenz, in the Gulf of Alaska, and I was gratified to find that the salinity given by Lenz, and my own determination of the salinity with the empirical correction added, were identical. It will be noticed that all of the salinity records published by Mr. Alexander Agassiz for the mid-Pacific region which were taken on board the '' Albatross " are in need of about the same correction to make them comparable with those of the ships of other nations. The necessity for this correction arises from the fact that the instruments were not standardized before being used. NO. 13 SALINITY OF PACIFIC SURFACE WATER — CLARK 9 BRIEF RESUME OF THE CONDITIONS FOUND IN THE NORTH PACIFIC For our knowledge of the water densities and of the temperatures of the North Pacific we are chiefly indebted to the late Vice- Admiral S. O. Makaroff of the Russian Navy. Not only did he take an enormous number of observations of his own, beginning in 1866 as a naval cadet and from that time almost constantly until his death on the *' Variag," but in an exhaustive monograph published in 1894/ he summarized and digested all the work of the others who had taken observations in that area, republishing, often with certain corrections calculated by himself, all their data. The following account' of the conditions in the Pacific is chiefly a summary of that given by Makaroff. Speaking broadly, there is found in the trade wind belt of the western part of the Pacific, a zone of warm water with a high salin- ity; water with a density of more than 1.0270 is only found in this zone and along the equator ; beyond this area as far as the Philippines and Japan, and approaching the equator in a broad curve around it to the eastward, we find water having a density of from 1.0265 to 1.0270. Corresponding to latitude 42° to 46° N. we find water with a density of from 1.0255 to 1.0260; this approaches the coast of California where it mingles with the coast water and, taking a direc- tion toward the southsouthwest, forms a cuneiform area within the area of water of higher salinity. It is probable that this area of low salinity (which hes to the southward of the Hawaiian Islands) is nar- rower in August than in March, and also that it is then situated more to the southward. This zone corresponds to the so-called California current. The surface water to the northward of the zone with density ranging from 1.0255 to 1.0260 has a density of from 1.0250 to 1.0255, and Makaroff believed it probable that the larger part of the surface water of the Bering Sea lies within these extremes (see beyond, p. 17). The mean specific gravity of the surface water of the Pacific (excluding the enclosed seas) is 1.0264. The specific gravity of the lower levels over the entire Pacific is everywhere the same ; the average is 1.0265. The " Challenger " found near the antarctic ice at 50 fathoms a specific gravity of 1.0265, or the same as the mean for the deep water ^ " Vitiaz " i Tikhii Okean ; Le " Vitiaz " et I'Ocean Pacifique. St. Petersbourg, 1894. lO SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 6o of the Pacific ; Makaroff believes that the water of the deeper layers in the Pacific comes originally from the Antarctic Ocean, an hypo- thesis which finds much support in the zoogeography of the Pacific region. The specific gravity of the water of the Philippines and of the Sulu and Celebes Seas is much less than that of the adjacent parts of the Pacific. In order to appreciate the significance of the varying salinities in the North Pacific and in the enclosed seas bordering upon it some attention must be given to the circulation of the water in the region and to the course and interrelationships of the various currents found there. The largest of these currents, and by far the most important, is the warm current from the south carrying water of high salinity, known as the Kuro-Siwo or Japanese current, and corresponding in a general way to the so-called Gulf Stream of the western Atlantic, On reaching the coasts of Japan and the peninsula of Korea the Kuro-Siwo divides into three parts ; the principal part advances along the southern coast of Japan ; the second enters the Sea of Japan through the straits of Korea and forms the so-called Tsu- shima current; the third turns to the westward and resembles in its general characteristics a similar branch which is given off from the Kuro-Siwo south of Formosa. It is not yet definitely known just what direction this branch takes ; but as Makaroff found in running from the Chu-San archipelago to Nagasaki a water with a very high specific gravity it seems probable that this branch, after de- scribing a broad curve, turns toward the south in the same manner as does the branch given off south of Formosa. The Tsu-Shima current does not occupy the entire width of the Korean Straits, for there is a zone of cold water with a low specific gravity along the Korean Coast which is part of a similar zone occupying the entire western part of the sea of Japan. On entering the Sea of Japan through the Korean Straits the Tsu-Shima current turns to the right and runs northeastward along the Japanese coast. It is probable that this current influences the salinity of the entire southeastern part of the Sea of Japan. Observations have shown that near Dajelet Island at a depth of lOO meters the cold water is sharply separated from the warm water which here is shoved downward, forming a deep current beneath the superficial water of low salinity flowing southward from the north. NO. 13 SALINITY OF PACIFIC SURFACE WATER — CLARK II The Tsu-Shima current, advancing toward the northeast, reaches the Strait of Tsugarii, through which a large amount of water flows to the eastward from the Sea of Japan to the Pacific. Continuing further toward the northeast the greater part of what remains of the Tsu-Shima current flows through the Strait of La Perouse into the Sea of Okhotsk, and a comparatively small portion continues northward along the west coast of Sakhalin. The salinity of the surface water in the Strait of La Perouse is greatly diminished by an admixture of fresh water from rain and snow, but at depths greater than 25 meters it is found to be the same as that of the water passing through the Korean Strait. The principal branch of' the Kuro-Siwo which follows the southern coast of Japan passes with great swiftness through van Dieman Strait, and thence runs parallel to the coast only touching the extremi- ties of the capes which extend furthest outward from the southern shore, Siwo-Misaki, Kawatsu, etc. It does not enter any of the gulfs or bays. In winter its limits are readily recognized by the high tem- perature and the high specific gravity, but in summer they can be determined only by the latter. The salinity of the water of the Inland Sea is much less than that of the neighboring parts of the Pacific or of the Sea of Japan ; Maka- roff found it to be in January 1.02527, in May 1.02544 and in June 1.02632, the average being 1.0252; the ''Challenger" found the average salinity of the eastern part in May to be 1.02375. The Kuro-Siwo only follows the coast of Japan as far as Cape Inaboie Saki, at that point turning to the east. Many observations made on vessels running between Kamchatka and Japan have proved that in the later summer months the warm water extends much further to the northward than the parallel of Cape Inaboie Saki though, judging from the specific gravities, the northern limit of the Kuro-Siwo scarcely passes 40° N. At that latitude the surface water of the Kuro-Siwo turns to the eastward, and has a specific gravity of less than 1.0260. However, water with a specific gravity of 1.0260 is found in the deeps of the Bering Sea and reaches to within 200 meters of the surface. It is to be noticed that in the Bering Sea the isotherms rise toward the east, so that we are justified in believing that the warm water approaches nearer the surface in the eastern than in the western part. In the Sea of Japan the heavy water, which is borne by the Tsu- Shima current, turns to the eastward ; but it does not at all points touch the island of Nipon as it is deflected by a moderately strong 12 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 6o current of sniall salinity which comes from the Inland Sea, entering- the Sea of Japan by the Straits of Shimonoseki. This heavy water in flowing northward along' the coasts of Nipon, Yezo and Sakhalin very gradually becomes less and less saline. Near the Siberian coast, water with a specific gravity of from 1.0250 to 1.0255 descends from north to south, washing the whole coast of the western part of the Sea of Japan and making itself felt even in the Korean Strait. The specific gravity of the water in the Sea of Japan is higher than that in corresponding latitudes in the Pacific ; in going from Hako- date to Vladivostok the specific gravity diminishes rapidly west of 134° and near Vladivostok is about o.ooii less than in the Strait of Tsugaru. The mean specific gravity of the water of the Sea of Japan, both at the surface and in the deeper portions, is 1.0260. Tracing a line from the Bay of St. Olga to the middle of the Korean Strait we find that in the western part the specific gravity, both at the surface and below, does not pass 1.0260. The heavy water which enters the Strait of Korea occupies in width more than half the strait, and its entire depth ; further northward, however, the thickness of the heavy layer does not exceed 100 meters. Water with a specific gravity of more than 1.0262 is only found in the eastern part of the sea. The Strait of La Perouse includes two zones of water of different salinities and temperatures. In the southern part there is a warm current which descends toward the east near the coast of Yezo, and in the northern part, near the coast of Sakhalin, there is a cold current running toward the westward out of the Sea of Okhotsk. The line of separation between these two currents is not vertical but strongly inclined; the water from the Sea of Okhotsk, lighter and colder, advances in a mass having a cuneiform section over the warmer, but also heavier, water of the eastern part of the Sea of Japan which passes downward and, turning to the right on account of the rota- tion of the earth, extends far toward the northeast under the cold water. This water from the Sea of Japan has a specific gravity of 1.0260, and a temperature of ig°C. in August; it is probable that in winter the temperature does not fall below 3° C. The surface water of Aniva Bay, in southern Sakhalin, has a specific gravity of 1.0245; for a while in August its temperature may be as much as 17° C, but the rest of the year it is much lower. NO. 13 SALINITY OF PACIFIC SURFACE WATER — CLARK 1 3 Under the upper layer of comparatively warm water is a cold layer with a specific gravity of 1.0254. On account of the quantity of water which flows through the Korean Strait and raises the surface of the Sea of Japan and that of the Gulf of Tartary above that of the surrounding seas the bulk of the water from the x\mur River, instead of turning to the right and flowing to the southward as would naturally be expected, turns to the north, though part of it comes southward along the western shore of the Gulf of Tartary where it causes a considerable dimi- nution of the salinity. In this gulf the water of the lower layers near Sakhalin, below 40 meters, has a higher specific gravity than that near the continent. In the upper layers there is no regularity in the variations so that they are probably the result of the action of winds, local currents, tides, etc. Almost the entire central portion of the Sea of Okhotsk has a specific gravity between 1.0245 and 1.0250; near the coasts the water is in general less saline. In the Bay of Oudsk and near Sak- halin the specific gravity is less than 1.0230, showing the influence of small rivers which empty into the southwestern part of the Sea of Okhotsk, and especially of the Amur. Krusenshtern found near the northern end of Sakhalin water with a specific gravity of 1.0130. The deeper water of the Sea of Okhotsk is more dense than that nearer the surface ; at a depth of 800 meters it has a specific gravity of 1. 0261, or the same as that of the water which enters through the Strait of La Perouse. As in the Bering Sea this lower stratum of warm water with high salinity is found at a greater depth in the west than in the east, for in both seas there is, along the western coast, a cold current of low salinity which submerges to a great depth the warm water with high salinity. Makaroff believed that the water of the Sea of Okhotsk enters that sea by way of the Strait of La Perouse and not from the Pacific. The mean density of the water of the Sea of Okhotsk and of all its bays is 1.0242. Among the Kuril Islands the surface water is mixed with heavier and much colder water than that occurring on the coast of Kam- chatka, the greatest degrees of salinity and cold being midway between Kamchatka and Japan and not at the northern end of the chain ; this heavy and cold water forms a broader belt on the Pacific than on the Okhotsk Sea side of the islands ; it was supposed by Makaroff to be in reality water from the great depths of the Okhotsk 14 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 6o Sea which is here forced to the surface through the pressure of the deep current of warm heavy water which enters the Okhotsk Sea through the Strait of La Perouse. It may be, however, that this explanation is not quite correct, and that the presence of this abyssal water among the Kuril Islands is to be accounted for rather by the application of Ekmann's hypothesis. Relatively warm water with a specific gravity of 1.0260 is found in the depths of the Bering Sea, reaching to within 200 meters of the surface ; it is found much nearer the surface at the Commander Islands than along the coast of Kamchatka, a phenomenon similar to that observed in the Sea of Okhotsk. It is to be remarked that in the Bering Sea the isotherms rise toward the eastward as one leaves the Kamchatkan coast so that we are justified in believing that the warm water approaches nearer the surface in the eastern part than in the western, though there is no evidence that the specific gravity is higher in the former. The layer of warm surface water along the coast of Kamchatka is very shallow, and observations on this coast prove the existence of an intermediate zone of cold water, just as in the western part of the Sea of Okhotsk ; determinations made in latitude 6o°-62° N. show that the specific gravity is still low at a depth of 150 meters which induces us to suppose that here the water is influenced by the water of the Arctic Ocean and is not directly connected with the warm water of the more southern latitudes. At Port Clarence, Alaska, the specific gravity of the deeper water is from 1.0136 to 1.02 16, much less than in the middle of the Bering Strait or in the Arctic Ocean. The " Vega," on her course across the Bering Strait from Port Clarence to Simavine, found that the specific gravity rose a little, the value being the same from the surface to the bottom; beyond longitude 171° W. the specific gravity of the surface water became much less than that of the deeper layers, while the temperature was also lower at all depths. In the Bering Strait the more saline water occurs on the western side ; the comparatively warm water which enters the Arctic Ocean on the eastern side is strongly mixed with the water from the Alaskan rivers and shows no trace at any depth of the water of the Kuro-Siwo which apparently does not reach this point. Observations made near the coast of Asia in latitude 63° 16' N. showed the presence of an intermediate layer of cold water similar to that observed near the coast of Kamchatka. NO. 13 SALINITY OF PACIFIC SURFACE WATER — CLARK 1 5 A water of low salinity descends to the southward near the coast of Kamchatka, and apparently continues down the Kuril chain ; further from the coast the water of the Bering Sea has a salinity of about 1.0250, corresponding to the latitude. METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS TENDING TO LOWER THE COMPARATIVE SALINITY OF THE PACIFIC Professor Kriimmel has shown that the Pacific is less saline than the Atlantic, the difference between them being comparatively slight in the southern hemisphere, but very considerable in the northern. A preliminary examination of the data available for the portion of the north Pacific north of Puget Sound shows that the low salinity of this area is much more marked on the eastern than on the western side. Professor Woekoff has explained the increased salinity of the Atlantic by the constant loss of water from the Atlantic and from the Atlantic water sheds through the operation of constant westerly winds which, passing across Europe, Asia and Africa, charged with Atlantic water, deposit it in the interior basins of those continents which have no connection with the oceans, and even in the Asiatic water shed of the Pacific itself. The Pacific loses no water in this way on account of the high mountains which form an almost unbroken barrier along its eastern shores. THE SEASONAL VARIATION IN THE SALINITY OF THE WATER OFF THE CALIFORNIAN COAST A preliminary examination of the salinity records obtained by the '' Albatross " off the Californian coast, with the necessary corrections applied, shows a most interesting condition. In the summer the isoh alines, upon reaching the vicinity of the Californian coast, bend abruptly to the northward and run more or less parallel with the shore, this effect being noticeable nearly to Puget Sound. In the winter this distortion of the isohalines disappears, and they then run to the coast almost exactly along the parallels of latitude. Dr. Thorade has worked out in great detail the seasonal variation in temperature for the Californian coast, and he finds that the iso- therms near the coast bend downward and run far to the southward in summer, but become more or less coincident with the parallels of latitude in winter. He has explained the phenomenon as resulting from the upwelling of abyssal water along the Californian coast in summer, this upwelling decreasing and practically disappearing in l6 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 6o winter. His explanation of the coldness of the coast strip as a result of the up welling of abyssal water presumes that this cold water should also be exceptionally saline, and therefore that the isohalines should bend abruptly to the northward just as the isotherms bend abruptly to the southward, while in the winter both isotherms and isohalines should follow courses more nearly agreeing with the paral- lels of the latitude. My observations on the seasonal variations in the salinity of this coast agree absolutely with his on the temperature. The charts published by Makaroff show that in the mid-Pacific, between 170° and 180° W. long, the mean isohaline of 1.0255 ^^^s approximately along the 46th parallel, and the isohaline of 1.0260 is approximately in 42° 50' N. ; the 1.0250 isohahne is far up in the Gulf of Alaska where it runs parallel to the coast, crossing the merid- ian of 140° W. in about 56° N. From these positions there is a slight southerly movement in winter, and in a corresponding north- erlv movement in summer. In the summer the isohaline of 1.0250, running in a generally south- erly direction, turns northward at about 42° 15' N. lat., 127° W. long., joining the coast of Cape Moares, in 45° 30' N. lat. The isohaline of 1.0255 turns northward at 37° N. lat., 127° W. long., and runs thence almost directly north between the meridians of 125° 30' W. and 125° 00' W. (practically coinciding with the latter north of 41° N. lat.) for a considerable distance, eventually turning eastward and reaching the coast at Cape Blanco. The isohaline of 1.0257 rises in a broad curve from 34° 40' N, lat., 133° W. long, to 36° 30' N. lat., 123° 30' W. long., and then turns rather abruptly northward and northwestward, running parallel to the coast to 39° N., when it gradually turns northward again, reaching the coast at Cape Alendo- cino. The noticeable feature of this isohaline is the broad seaward bend which, considered in its relation to the coast line, reaches its maximum in the latitude of San Francisco, and its actual maximum westerly extension in 39° N. lat. In the San Francisco region there is a small area with a salinity of less than 1.0255 bounded by a curve of large radius extending from Point Arena (just south of 39° N. lat.) on the north to Pescadero Point (about 37° 15' N. lat.) on the south. This curve crosses 38° N. in 123° 30' W., and 123° W. in 37° 30' N., its course being almost parallel to that of the 1.0257 line further oflf shore. The isohaline of 1.0260 turns northward at 33° N., 125° W., and runs in a broad curve northnortheast to Monterey Bay. NO. 13 SALINITY OF PACIFIC SURFACE WATER CLARK 1 7 In the winter the isohahnes east of 133° W. run approximately along the parallels of latitude, rising only slightly near the coast ; the isohaline of 1.0255 rises from 33° 50' N. lat., 124° W. long to Point Sal, north of Point Conception; the isohaline of 1.0257 ^^^"S from 33° N. 123° W. to Santa Barbara; and the isohaline of 1.0260 rim from 32° 20' N. 121° W. to Encinitas, just north of San Diego. THE BERING SEA A preliminary examination of the American records available for the Bering Sea shows a rather interesting condition, though one which is essentially what would be predicated from a survey of the land and submarine contours and of the drainage systems. ]\Iakaroff showed the isohaline of 1.0250 running from 45° N. lat. 150^^ E. long, nearly in a straight line (with a slight regular con- vexity toward the east) to Bering Island, then turning more to the eastward and running (again with a slight convexity toward the southeast) to about lat. 61° N., long. 180° WE.; from this point he was unable to trace it further owing to an absence of data. It appears from the records at hand that here it turns abruptly to the southward running as far as lat. 55° N. which it crosses in long. 179° 20' W., then making a broad sweep toward the east, crossing lat. 54° N. at long. 177° 30' W., reaching lat. 53° 35' N. in long. 174° 30' W., and, continuing the same curve, crossing lat. 55° N. again in long. 171° 25' W. ; here it turns abruptly toward the NNW., crossing lat. 55° N. in long. 171° 55' W., and reaching lat. 55° 50' in long. 171° 55' W., curving sharply about and coming southward again in a course parallel to that taken going north and about thirty miles to the eastward (forming a long narrow finger toward the NNW., lying chiefly between long. 171° W. and long. 172° W\) as far as lat. 54° 25' N. long. 170° 30' W. where it gradually turns eastward, after long. 169° W. running between lat. 54° 05' N, and lat. 54° 10' N. to long. 167° 05' W. where it turns abruptly south and then west, running WSW. nearly in a straight Hne to Uliaga in the Islands of Four Mountains. W^e thus see that the water with a specific gravity of 1.0250 or more is entirely confined to that part of the Bering Sea west of long. 167° W., while except for a narrow strip just north of the Andreanof Islands, the Islands of Four Mountains, Umnak and western Un- alaska, it Hes to the west of long. 179°. It therefore lies entirely in the l8 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 6o deep western part of the sea, its southeastern extremity showing a curious approximate coincidence with the looo fathom hne. The westerly position of this water of comparatively high salinity which enters the Bering Sea from the southward is evidently gov- erned by the breadth and depth of the channels. Between Kamchatka and the Commander Islands it lies beneath the colder and less saline water flowing southward along the Kamchatkan coast, this super- ficial layer progressively decreasing in thickness toward the east and allowing the heavier and warmer water to reach the surface at Bering Island. The broad deep channel between the Commander and western Aleutian Islands allows of the passage of great quantities of Pacific water, but the large Andreanof Islands with the narrow channels between them form a barrier so that little is able to flow by them. Between the Andreanof Islands and Umnak, howxver, there are again broad open channels, inluding the Amukta Pass, and these allow of the passage of enough water to form to the north- ward the long finger above described, and the somewhat similar finger stretching toward the east nearly to long. 167° W. The general configuration of the area of high salinity in the western part of the Bering Sea suggests that it is not a constant, but rather an intermittent flow, for were it constant, one would scarcely expect to find it extending itself by such long and narrow processes as occur north, and again east, of the Amukta Pass, or faihng to reach the shores of islands upon which the precipitation is not by any means sufficient to keep it away. It is quite possible that we have in the Bering Sea a condition comparable to that shown by Cleve, Ekmann and Pettersson to exist in the Norwegian Sea, and that there is a yearly pulsation due to a variation in the height of the level of the north Pacific, reaching the maximum in November and the minimum in March, by which the flowing of the surface water of the Pacific through the Aleutian channels is increased during the late spring, summer and early autumn, decreasing in the winter and early spring. While the flow of water of comparatively high salinity from the Pacific into the Bering Sea is undoubtedly constant, and toward the western part of the sea always strong, its eastward extension is probably governed by an annual variation, expanding and contracting with more or less regularity. Toward the eastern part of the Bering Sea the density decreases very slowly; the 1.0240 line crosses long. 164° W. in lat. 57° 30' N., NO. 13 SALINITY OF PACIFIC SURFACE WATER — CLARK I9 running- toward the southeast; crossing long. 163° W. in lat. 55° 15' N. it turns south running to a point fifteen miles north of Point Blaine on the Alaska peninsula, then turns southwest and follows the coast to Cape Mordvinof on Unimak where it reaches its southwestern limit. South of the Alaska peninsula the 1.0250 line runs in a northeast- southwest direction slightly to the northwest of lat. 54° N. long. 158° W. SYNOPSIS OF THE SALINITIES OBSERVED DURING THE 1906 CRUISE OF THE " ALBATROSS " Locality 0^^--a- ^^^^.^^ Near San Francisco Bay (i) 1.0212 From San Francisco to the Columbia River (2-10) 1.0255 Off the Columbia River (11) 1.0218 Off Clearwater, Washington (12) 1.0252 Strait of Juan de Fuca (13) 1.0243 At Tacoma (14) 1.0211 Strait of Georgia (15) 1.0214 Union Bay, Vancouver Island (16-17) 1.0221 Queen Charlotte Sound ( 18) 1.0224 Provost 1. to long. 145° W ( 19-26) 1.0250 Long. 145° W. to long. 158° W (27-30) 1.0253 South of the Shumagin Is (31) 1.0240 Eastern end of the Aleutian Is (32-33) 1.0247 Near Bogosloff ■ (34) 1.0250 Unimak to Seguam (35-38) 1.02525 Atka to Semisopochnoi (39-42) 1.0254 South Central Bering Sea (43-52) 1.0253 Vicinity of Semisopochnoi Is (53-55) 1.0254 South of Amchitka (56) 1.0250 Kyska to Copper (Myedni) Island (57-68) 1.0253 Copper I. to and about Bering I (69-76) 1.0252 Between Bering I. and Kamchatka (77-78) 1.0250 Near Starichkof I (79-8o) 1.0246 Off Cape Asacha, Kamchatka (81) 1.0248 About southern Kamchatka (82-86) 1.0252 Vicinity of Simushir, Kurils (87-90) 1.0255 Urupp, Kurils, to Cape Yerimo, Yezo (91-95) 1-0253 Strait of Tsugaru ^ (96) 1.0255 Eastern part of the Sea of Japan (97-104) 1.0260 20 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLAS^EOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 6o Locality Observa- p^^,,^ Toyama Bay (1.0216-1.0261) (105-114) 1.0253 Near Waijima (115) 1.0261 Komatsu to Kioga Saki (116-124) 1.0256 Oki Is (125-126) 1.0255 Between Oki Is. and Hornet I. (Liancourt Rocks) (127) 1.0252 Between Oki Is. and Hornet I (128) 1.0258 South of Hornet L and iMatsushima I (129-131) 1.0261 Coast of Korea, and the Korean Straits to Tsu-Shima and Ikki-Shima (132-139) 1.0248 South of Hirado I. and near Nagasaki (140-141) 1.0253 South of Goto Is (142) 1.0252 South of Goto Is. and West of Koshiki I (143-148) 1.0247 West of Uji-Shima and South of Kusakaki-Shima (149-151) 1.0252 South of Tanega-Shima (152-153) 1.0262 West of Tanega-Shima ( 154) 1.0257 Off Kagoshima Gulf (i55) 1.0251 In Kagoshima Gulf (156) 1.0239 Van Dieman Strait, and eastward to the Inland Sea (157-162) 1.0261 Inland Sea (163-164) 1.0241 South of the Kii Channel (165) 1.0259 In Oshima-Ko ( 166) 1.0238 Off Oshima-Ko and South of Hamamatsu (167-172) 1.0257 Near No-Shima (i73) 1.0259 Northeast of Choshi ( 174) 1.0254 From Choshi to Tsugaru Strait (175-179) 1.0255 From Iwanai Bay to Rebunshiri I., and west of Southern Sakhalin ( 180-183) 1.0258 Eastern part of the Gulf of Tartary (184-185) 1.0256 Aniva Bay, Sakhalin Island ( 186) 1.0245 Near Cape Siretoko (187) 1.0243 Southeastern Sakhalin to Cape Patience (188-191) 1.0235 Sea of Okhotsk ( 192) 1.0239 Sea of Okhotsk (193) 1.0245 Sea of Okhotsk (i94) 1.0247 Sea of Okhotsk (195) 1.0256 Sea of Okhotsk (196) 1.0255 South of Kunashir and Otsu Saki ( 197-198) 1.0253 Near Cape Yerimo, Yezo ( 199) 1.0252 Off Urakawa and west of Urakawa (200-201) 1.0258 From southeast of Alororan to Sendai (202-204) 1.0254 Off Sendai (205) 1.0259 Northeast of Choshi (206) 1.0249 Vicinity of No-Shima (207-208) 1.0255 Suruga Gulf (209-215) 1.0250 Off Suruga Gulf (216-218) 1.0256 West of Nii Jima (219) 1.0254 Sagami Bay (220-221 ) 1.0253 NO. 13 SALINITY OF PACIFIC SURFACE WATER — CLARK 21 NARRATIVE Our first observation, made not long after leaving San Francisco Bay, showed water of a comparatively low density (1.0212), pos- sibly indicating the influence of the bay water. From Marin county to the mouth of the Columbia River we passed through water vary- ing in density from 1.025 1 to 1.0259, with an average of 1.0255 ; this variation was probably due to our crossing closely approximated isohalines running more or less parallel to the shore line, though possibly part of it was due to the effect upon the surface water of the various rivers which enter the ocean along this coast. Off the mouth of the Columbia River the density was, as would naturally be expected, very low (1.0218) ; it rose to 1.0252 further north and fell to 1.0243 in the Straits of Fuca. At Tacoma, in the Straits of Georgia, and at Union Bay, Van- couver Island, the density was low, ranging between 1.02 11 (at Ta- coma) and 1. 022 1 (at Union Bay), on account of the drainage from the land; but in Queen Charlotte Sound we found it to be again about the same (1.0244) as it was in the Straits of Fuca. From the Queen Charlotte Sound as far as long. 145° W. the density was very uniform (1.0250) ; at that point a slight rise was noted (1.0253) which was maintained to long. 158° W., beyond which lo- cality, in the vicinity of the Shumagin Islands, it dropped to 1.0240, rising again south of the eastern end of the Aleutian chain to 1.0247. Near Bogosloff the density was slightly greater (1.0250), and on the course from Unimak to Siguam a further slight increase was noticed, which was augmented between Atka and Semisopochnoi. In the south central part of the Bering Sea the density was very slightly less, but on returning to the vicinity of Semisopochnoi we found the same figure which we had previously observed between Atka and Semisopochnoi. Our observation south of Amchitka is rather low, and may possibly be incorrect. Between Kyska and Copper Island the readings were the same as those in the south central Bering Sea (1.0253), and slightly less than those between Atka and Semisopochnoi. From Copper Island to and about Bering Island a slightly lessened density (1.0252)1 was noted, and a further decrease was observed between Bering Island and Kamchatka (T.0250). Near Starichkof Island a comparatively low density was found (1.0246), which rose off Cape Asacha (1.0248) and again about the 22 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 6o southern extremity of Kamchatka where, both in the Pacific and in the Okhotsk Sea, it was again the same as between Copper and Bering Islands (1.0252). In the vicinity of Simushir the salinity was notably high (1.0255), falling again on the course between Urupp and Cape Yerimo, Yezo, to the same figure we had observed in the south central Bering Sea and between Kyska and Copper Islands (1.0253). In the Strait of Tsugaru the same density was observed as in the vicinity of Simushir (1.0255), but we found it greatly increased in the eastern part of the Sea of Japan (1.0260). In Toyama Bay we determined salinities ranging from 1.02 16 (in the southern part) to the normal salinity for the eastern part of the Sea of Japan, 1.0260 (in the more northern part). Near Wai- jima we found the same salinity as in the same general region further to the north (1.0261) ; but between Komatsu and the Oki Islands it was considerably less (1.0256), and we noted a further drop in the vicinity of the Oki Islands (1.0255). Between the Oki Islands and Hornet Island (Liancourt Rocks), we determined two quite dififerent readings, 1.0252 and 1.0258, while south of Hornet Island and south of Matsushima we found the high density characteristic of the east coast of the Sea of Japan (1.0261). Along the Korean coast and in the Korean Strait about Tsu-Shima and Ikki-Shima we found water of a very low density (1.0248), which was the same as that previously observed off Cape Asacha, Kam- chatka, and in general comparable to that along the east Kamchatka coast. South of Hirado Island and near Nagasaki the density was greater (1.0253) , and was the same as that in the south central Bering Sea, between Kyska and Copper Islands and along the southern Kurils, and almost the same as that between the Oki Islands and Hornet Island. South of the Goto Islands and west of Koshiki Island (except in one spot in the former locality where we found a density of 1.0253, or practically the same as that south of Hirado Island and near Nagasaki) the density was 1.0247, or approximately the same as that along the Korean coast and about Tsu-Shima and Ikki-Shima. West of Uji-Shima and south of Kusakaki-Shima the density was about the same as that south of Hirado Island and near Nagasaki (1.0252), and the same as that about southern Kamchatka. South of Tanega-Shima the salinity became much higher (1.0262), reaching about the same figure as in the eastern portion of the Sea of Japan. West of Tanega-Shima it was less (1.0257), and off Kago- NO. 13 SALIXITY OF PACIFIC SURFACE WATER — CLARK 23 shima Gulf much less, while within Kagoshima Gulf we found the water comparable to that in Toyama Bay, though only one observa- tion (1.0239) was taken. In van Dieman Strait and along- the coast to the Inland Sea the same density (1.0261) was found as near Waijima and generally in the eastern part of the Sea of Japan. The two observations in the Inland Sea shoAved a water of low salinity (1.0241) ; but south of the Kii channel we found again ap- proximately the same salinity as that normal for the Japanese cur- rent (1.0259). In the little land-locked harbor of Oshima-Ko the water was quite fresh (1.0238), while in the vicinity of that harbor and south of Hamamatsu we found it somewhat less saline than in the Japanese current (1.0257). Near No-Shima the salinity rose to 1.0259, ^^^ o^ oi^i* journey northward along the east coast of Japan to the Strait of Tsugaru we found the density varying between 1.0252 and 1.0258, with an average of 1.0255. In Iwanai Bay and in Ishikan Bay on the west coast of Yezo, and west of Rebunshiri Island and southern Sakhalin, the salinity was comparatively high (1.0258), dropping further to the northward in the eastern part of the Gulf of Tartary to 1.0256. Our single ob- servation in Aniva Bay in southern Sakhalin gave 1.0245, while off Cape Siretoko we found 1.0243. Between Cape Siretoko and Cape Patience the salinity varied between 1.0243 ^^^ 1.0227, the average being 1.0235, ^^^ ^^^ our course between Cape Patience and the southeastern corner of the Sea of Okhotsk it rose regularly through 1.0239, 1.0245 and 1.0247 to 1.0256 and 1.0255, falling to 1.0253 south of Kunashir and south of Otsu-Saki, and to 1.0252 off Cape Yerimo. Off Urakawa and west of Urakawa we found a salinity of 1.0258, southeast of Mororan to Sendai a salinity of 1.0254, while another observation off Sendai gave 1.0259. Northeast of Choshi we found a salinity of 1.0249, and in the vicinity of No-Shima a salinity of 1.0255. As was to be expected the water in Suruga Gulf proved to be. less saline than that of the open sea, especially in the more remote ■portions, varying from 1.0236 to 1.0256, with an average of 1.0250; oft* shore in this region we found 1.0256. West of Nii Jima we found a saHnity of 1.0254, and in Sagami Bay our two observations gave 1.0253. 24 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 6o AN OBSERVATION ON THE INTERMINGLING OF RIVER AND OCEAN WATER It has long been known that the water from a shallow river upon entering the sea spreads out fan-like over the surface of the salt water for a very considerable distance with little intermingling. While dredging one day in Suruga Gulf we had striking optical evidence of the truth of this. Though the day was clear there had been during the preceding night heavy rains over the land and the rivers were all swollen and very muddy. It happened that one of the localities in which we wished to work was within the area cov- ered by the extremely muddy water from a small river. The water was so muddy that small objects disappeared from view at a depth of a few inches. On hauling up the trawl a dark hole of clear black water was made through the muddy surface layer, which was then seen to be but a few feet in thickness. COMPARISON OF OUR FIGURES WITH THOSE PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED xAs far as southern Kamchatka our figures agree very well with those of '' Vega," " Vitiaz," '' Variag " and '' Predpriatie " for the same region. From this point our course was through territory for which there are no previous records, though the " Vitiaz " established a fine of observations somewhat further to the eastward. We found the specific gravity of the water in the Kuril chain higher than would be expected, reaching a maximum in the middle of the group ; these com- paratively high figures undoubtedly represent a purely local condition, the result, as explained by Makaroff, of the upthrust of the abyssal water of the Okhotsk Sea (or of the Pacific, or of both) to the surface. About Yezo our figures again agree with those previously pub- lished. There are no records for the west coast of Nipon, and here our observations seem to indicate a belt of water of comparatively low salinity near the coast, probably a very thin and superficial layer resulting from the drainage from the land, intervening between the heavy water of the eastern part of the Sea of Japan and the shore line. In the region of the Korean Straits and off the Korean coast our figures do not quite agree with those of Makaroff, though, generally speaking there is but little difference ; our figures for southern and eastern Japan more nearly coincide with his. NO. 13 SALINITY OF PACIFIC SURFACE WATER — CLARK 25 On the west coast of Yezo, where no previous observations have been taken, we found water of a somewhat lesser density than is indi- cated for the region further off shore ; this would naturally be ex- pected, and agrees with the conditions found on the west coast of Nipon. Along the coasts of Sakhalin our observations agree with those of the Russian investigators. For the southern and southeastern part of the Sea of Okhotsk there are no previous records ; we found conditions approximately what would be expected and, agreeing with our observations further to the northward, found a local area of comparatively high salinity near the Kuril chain. 26 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 6o S o < o u g u m O 1) (U . be d .ti!5 •o^ IBuac; O) r^vo On^O 00t^Tt-i-H(v)00^)rO*-i-n-i-HO^OOs'-'OOO oooooooooooooooooooooooo CN t^ • Os\0 OOrO .MfNi-HT^i-iMOOhHOTrO • 'O -o \^ \r> -lOLOLOLo •Loioi-Hi-i'^i-ii-Hnc^i-ri-Lo • -Lo -vn oo -oooo -ooooooooooo • -o -o On i-< lO O O O W CM '^ OnVO >0CX3 O lOVO CO CO O CO O ro (M CM CM g CD 0-1 O o-s o^. rt i:; c : Hoop • O t^ O t^ LO o o m CM M ro tT CO CO Oj ro ro CO CO CO CO CM CM CM CM CM CM CM OOOOOOO ctS C (U ctJ J2 *-' -^ U-4 -Q S aoRco :so i^ ^^^^^^^^^^^ .& ^^^^^^^ OOOOOOO OOOOOOO S£££SSEHE£E£££ESEeesee5S diCtio3ci,cT3(ia3d,CT3cicTJd4C^c^diC^d,C^CT3cT3d,c\So3d< oocMooooooooooooooooi-'OOLog ooooooooooooooooo qq CM q q 1-^, o 00 00* d 00 00 00 00 oo* 00* 00 00* 00* 00* 00* 00* 00* 00* 00* 00* d 00* 00* d 00* (N CO -5t mo r^oo On O NO. 13 SALINITY OF PACIFIC SURFACE WATER— CLARK 27 10 u^ u^ Ul u^ u^ T^ T^f- Tj- LO u^ 10 »0 LO >0 UO 10 10 10 »0 »0 u^ 10 10 1^0 LO »0 10 >0 to i-O u^ »0 10 10 00000000000000000000000000000000000 10 • COOO LO^O O '^O ro C^ >-' 10 • 10 IT) 10 10 M • C^ (N <>! 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