The flow of heat through the floor of the Atlantic Ocean

The measurement of the temperature gradient and thermal conductivity in the sediments beneath the floor of the North Atlantic Ocean is described. Measurements were made at five stations. The mean heat flow and conductivity were found to be 0·98 × 10 -6 cal/cm 2 s and 25 × 10 -4 cal/cm °Cs. The heat...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series A. Mathematical and Physical Sciences
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: The Royal Society 1954
Subjects:
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspa.1954.0085
https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rspa.1954.0085
Description
Summary:The measurement of the temperature gradient and thermal conductivity in the sediments beneath the floor of the North Atlantic Ocean is described. Measurements were made at five stations. The mean heat flow and conductivity were found to be 0·98 × 10 -6 cal/cm 2 s and 25 × 10 -4 cal/cm °Cs. The heat flows at the individual stations range from 0·58 to 1·42 × 10 -6 cal/cm 2 s. The high heat flow is an unexpected result, and it is difficult to find a source for so much heat.