78
106. The Trade Winds.

In nearly all parts of the hot belt, and
for a short distance beyond it, brisk winds
blow in a westerly direction. These are
called trade winds.

The trade winds blow over about one half
the surface of the earth. As they sweep
over the sea they gather up a vast amount of
moisture and give it to the river basins in
their path.

What great river basins are in the hot
belt ? we

i

deter

Junk on the Pacific.

In some places over the land, the trade
winds turn from their westerly course. Over
the sea these winds often blow for weeks
without changing either their speed or their
direction.

The winds that bear moisture to the river
basins of the warm and cool belts of the north
blow mainly from the southwest and west.

On the cover of this book there is a picture
of the fleet of Columbus. The trade winds
filled the sails of this fleet, during the famous
voyage to America, in 1492.

 

THE TRADE WINDS.

107. The Gulf Stream.

There are many streams of salt water in
the sea. These are called ocean currents.
Some are warm and others are cold.

Wide ocean currents flow westward under
the trade winds. A branch of one of these
currents winds among and around the West
Indies, and then flows northeast across the
Atlantic ocean. After passing Cuba this is
called the Gulf stream.

Between Cuba and Florida this stream is
about forty miles wide and half a mile
deep. It flows about five miles an hour. The
water is dark blue and very
warm.

As the Gulf stream crosses
the Atlantic, it widens and
flows more slowly. West of
Europe this warm stream
divides. One part flows
along the northwest shore
of Europe while the other
_ part turns towards Africa.
The Gulf stream warms
- the winds that sweep over
it, and these winds bear
much warmth to western
Europe. They give mild
weather all the year to
the British Isles. By and by we shall learn
about other great currents in the sea.

The strange vessel in the picture is called a junk.
It is made of bamboo, —a large grass-like plant that
grows in southeast Asia.

Several years ago a junk was wrecked off the
coast of China. Its masts were broken off and its
sails were blown away.

For weeks and weeks the hull drifted in a great
ocean current. At length it was found upon the rocky
shore of Alaska, thousands of miles from the place
where it lost its masts.

The junk drifted in the Japan current.
direction does this current flow ?

In what