Hydrology(?) expert’s free advice sought.

[ChrisGreaves]

In John Huston’s book “Confessions of an Igloo Dweller”, p7, he states that the flow of water into Hudson’s Bay is greater than that of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans combined.
Immediate reaction is “No way!”, but a moment’s reflection suggests that this might be true. (Hint: Name the two biggest rivers on the west coast of South America).
I have tried internet searches to determine the flow into these three bodies of water, using terms such as “catchment”, “discharge” and so on with no success.
Millions of web sites list drainage areas, catchment areas, outflow of specific rivers, but I have yet to find a web page that describes the average annual inflow to, say, Hudson’s Bay” in cubic anythings. Ditto the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

I know that the answer will reveal the search terms, and by now what bugs me the most is that I can’t come up with useful search terms!
(signed) “Lapsed Librarian” of Toronto.

[BobH]

You are suffering from debilitated search foo, Chris!

Take 2 aspirin and call us in the morning.

[HansV]

Most of Hudson('s) Bay drains into the Atlantic Ocean, so its drainage cannot be larger than that of the Atlantic Ocean.

[mishmish3000]

The total surface area of the Hudson Bay watershed is about 3,861,400 square kilometres (1,490,900 sq mi), with a mean discharge of about 30,900 m³/s.

And thus sayeth the chapter of Hudson's Bay, in Our Book of Wikipedia. Aaaaaa-men!

[Jezza]

Have you thought about the over vectors such as "Evaporation"?


.....and also "Fish get thirsty"

[ChrisGreaves]

Most of Hudson('s) Bay drains into the Atlantic Ocean, so its drainage cannot be larger than that of the Atlantic Ocean.

Absolutely correct. Huston was based in and around Hudson's Bay for 14(?) years, so I had assumed he was separating the contribution from the Atlantic.
Strictly speaking, I think that the Pacific flows into the Atlantic, which flows into the Indian, which flows into the Pacific all courtesy of those Roaring Forties which were responsible for so many Dutch deaths on the coast of Western Australia.

[ChrisGreaves]

... with a mean discharge of

Thanks MishMish; "discharge" is a search term I'll employ.

[ChrisGreaves]

Have you thought about the over vectors such as "Evaporation"?

No, Jezza, I hadn't. My guess would be that "evaporation" has already taken place before "discharge" is measured.

[ChrisGreaves]

In John Huston’s book “Confessions of an Igloo Dweller”, p7, he states that the flow of water into Hudson’s Bay is greater than that of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans combined.

FWIW I was browsing through The Canadian Oxford School Atlas – fourth edition 1977, page 7, I read that for Hudson Bay Water flow to the sea is 29,453 m3/sec.
Catchment Volume m3/sec
Atlantic 33,700
Hudson Bay 29,453
Pacific 21,225
Arctic 15,491
This is more in line with what I would think; I was surprised when I read John Huston’s claim that Hudson’s Bay outflow exceeded both the Pacific and Atlantic combined.
But now I think that by his statement he meant that the flow into the Atlantic from Canada, and the flow into the Pacific from Canada exceeds the flow into Hudson’s Bay.
I now suspect that his figures were obtained back in 1948 and were not, perhaps, as accurate as figures available to us in 1977.

HPIM6943 [800x600].JPG

I have outlined in orange the catchment area. The watershed is shown as a thick blue line that wanders around the country inside my orange sketch. The Hudson Bay catchment area is huge and extends well in the USA. It is quite possibly more than half the area of Canada (which is about 10,000,000 Km2)

HPIM6944.JPG

Here are two elements of detail from the map.

[mishmish3000]

How cool is that! Great find, ChrisGreaves!

[BobH]

This information forces me to ask about water flow in Canada in winter: does it? Does it flow, I mean?

Seems to me that most of the moisture available from the atmosphere arrives as snow and probably most of it remains in that form until there is a thaw, eh?

Is there seasonal variation in the measured discharge into Hudson's Bay and the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic Oceans? If so, one would think that the variations in discharge rate might be immense. In the US, the Missouri and Mississippi rivers discharge huge amounts of water, but there are huge floods in those - and other - watersheds when snow melts occur and ice breaks up.

??

[ChrisGreaves]

Seems to me that most of the moisture available from the atmosphere arrives as snow and probably most of it remains in that form until there is a thaw, eh?

0314141517-00.jpg

It being Thawsday I am pleased to upload a photo taken last week during a thaw.
I am standing on the kerb waiting for the College Street streetcar.
The footprints of previous wanderers are etched in salt.
Water melting from the snout of a micro-glacier on the right of the photo flows downhill to the right.

It is a favorite pastime of mine in the summer to approach middle-aged couples who are standing puzzled/arguing on Yonge Street on one of the several downsloping beach shelves that terrace the street.

(sweetly) "Can I help you?"
(harassed, and curtly) "Yes. Please. Which way is Lake Ontario?"
(semi-sarcastically) "Well; I'll give you a clue. Water runs downhill"
(embarrassed) "Oh. Yes. Thank You"
(other party glares at their spouse, lips drawn tight ...)

[ChrisGreaves]

In John Huston’s book “Confessions of an Igloo Dweller”, p7, he states that the flow of water into Hudson’s Bay is greater than that of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans combined.

FWIW I picked up a Canadian Geographic map at a rummage sale.
The brown-shaded area is the Hudson Bay drainage area.
(Note that we "steal" rain water from the USA!)

[ChrisGreaves]

In John Huston’s book “Confessions of an Igloo Dweller”, ...

And then, and then ...
Simon Winchester "Atlantic" what do I find but

HPIM7547.JPG

Interesting: Winchester considers the origins of the Atlantic from Peru (Amazon) Ethiopia (Blue Nile) Montana(?)(Missouri) and so on. The way he writes you'd think that very little river water doesn't enter into our oceans except into the Atlantic.

Or else that the bulk of the earth's land mass feeds the Atlantic.

[ChrisGreaves]

In John Huston’s book “Confessions of an Igloo Dweller”, ...

And then again:-

"About 48.7% of the world's land drains to the Atlantic Ocean."
Wikipedia

687px-Ocean_drainage.png

The map of the drainage basins of the world's oceans is amusing (in the correct sense).
I think of the Pacific Ocean as the world's largest ocean; it appears to have the smallest drainage basin.
I think of the Atlantic Ocean as the world's smallest ocean; it appears to have the largest drainage basin.

And yes, I know it's all about plate tectonics