36 H. JONSSON 



board the mail steamer "Laura" on its route from Scotland to Ice- 

 land during the years 1897- -1904. 



Between longitude 17 and 18, near the coast of Iceland, in a 

 south-easterly direction from Dyrholaey, the mean temperature of 

 the year (18971904) is stated (44) to be 8.8 and the mean salinity 

 during the same period 35.19. 



The main features regarding the temperature of the ocean 

 around Iceland then are as follows At the south coast warm, 

 pure Atlantic water of a high (above 35 %o) and somewhat varying 

 salinity occurs ; at SW. Iceland there is a somewhat similar sea ; at 

 NW. Iceland and N. Iceland there is Atlantic water mixed with cold 

 water of low salinity from the East Greenland polar current; and 

 lastly, at E. Iceland Arctic water occurs (with a temperature of to 2 

 and salinity from 34.6 per cent, to 34.9 per cent. [He Hand- Han- 

 sen and Nansen, 27, p. 287]): the East Iceland polar current mixed 

 with water from the Atlantic current. 



The change of temperature in the surface-layers of the water, 

 the cooling process during winter and the heating process during 

 summer, reaches down almost as deep as the algal vegetation, and 

 is consequently of no slight importance to the latter. 



b. The Temperature in the Fjords. Respecting the tempe- 

 rature of the surface-water of the ocean throughout the year infor- 

 mation is given in the "Meteorologisk Aarbog" (Meteorological Year- 

 book) regarding three stations in Iceland: Papey, Grfmsey and Stj'k- 

 kisholmur. The following figures show the seasons' mean tempera- 

 ture of the ocean for a period of five years (1902 --1906), chosen 

 arbitrarily. Grfmsey is omitted, however, as the observations there 

 have often been incomplete. 



Winter Spring Summer Autumn 



Papey (E. Iceland) 0.9 1.7 6.0 4.3 



Stykkisholmur (SW. Iceland). 0.4 1.8 9.6 6.4 



Vestmannaeyjar 1 (S. Iceland). 4.1 6.1 10.4 7.0 



The winter in Papey is warmer than in Stykkisholmur, and the 

 monthly mean temperatures during the winter, of the period mentioned, 

 are there all positive; while in Stykkisholmur, February ( 0.8) and 

 March (---0.2) have negative numbers. The summer is much warmer 



1 The figures for the Vestmannaej'jar constitute the mean of the period from 

 July 1st, 1877 to Dec. 31st, 1906. According to Jorvaldur Thoroddsen, Lysing 

 Islands, 2. Bd., pp. 350 351, Kaupmannahofn 1910. 



