PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY 267 



The climate of Iceland, owing to oceanic currents, is much 

 milder than could be expected from the position of the island. As 

 is well-known the temperature of the air varies greatly at the same 

 latitude on the eastern and western sides of the North Atlantic. 

 Slykkisholm in Iceland lies about 65 N. lat. as also Brono in Nor- 

 way and Angmagsalik on the east coast of Greenland, but the tem- 

 perature varies greatly in these three places as shown in the fol- 

 lowing table: 



February July Average for year 



Brono 1.4 C. 12.8 C. 5.2 C. 



Stykkisholm 2.7 C. 9.7 C. 2.8 C. 



Angmagsalik 10.8 C. 5.4 C. 2.6 C. 



The above table shows, among other things, the great influence 

 exerted by the cold, ice-carrying current in Denmark Strait. On the 

 whole, oceanic currents have a great effect upon the climate of Ice- 

 land. The west coast has its temperature raised by the Gulf Stream. 

 One branch of this passes Cape Nord and continues its course along 

 the north coast where it becomes cooled, but has still a compara- 

 tively high temperature which is distinctly felt at Grimsey. Another 

 branch of the Gulf Stream comes from the south up towards the 

 south and east coasts where it meets the cold Polar current which 

 comes dow r n along the east coast of Greenland and at Iceland di- 

 vides into two branches. Of these branches the one broad branch 

 turns dow r n through Denmark Strait, while the other flows down 

 towards Langanes, and thence southwards along the east coast of 

 Iceland to South Iceland where it passes between the coast and the 

 warm current outside. The conditions connected with these currents 

 exert a great influence upon the temperature of the ocean off dif- 

 ferent parts of the coast and thus upon the flora and fauna of the 

 ocean, which differ greatly according to whether they are under the 

 influence of cold or warm water. Thus, the algal vegetation along 

 the north-eastern coast of Iceland has a different character is 

 more Polar than towards the south-west ; this applies also to 

 the fish fauna, and the deep-water, spot-bound fauna, as well as 

 to the plankton. 



The temperature of the surface-water of the ocean varies there- 

 fore in no slight degree off the different parts of the coast. During 

 wanter the temperature of the ocean-water off the east coast, where 

 the influence of the Polar current is greatest, is on an average 0.8 



1 Julius Hann: Handbuch der Klimatologie. Stuttgart. 1908, I, p. 181. 



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