Introduction. 29 



art' known, it would appear that they must tend to 

 produce a current across the Pole in the direction 

 indicated. From the Atlantic to the south of Spitz- 

 be rgen and Franz Josef Land a belt of low atmo- 

 spheric pressure (minimum belt) extends into the 

 Siberian Arctic Sea. In accordance with well-known 

 laws, the wind must have a preponderating direction 

 from west to east on the south side of this belt, and 

 this would promote an eastward-flowing current along the 

 north coast of Siberia, such as has been found to exist 

 there.* The winds on the north side of the minimum 

 belt must, however, blow mainly in a direction from east 

 to west, and will consequently produce a westerly 

 current, passing across the Pole towards the Greenland 

 Sea, exactly as we have seen to be the case. 



"It thus appears that, from whatever side we consider 

 this question, even apart from the specially cogent 

 evidences above cited, we cannot escape the conclusion 

 that a current passes across or very near to the Pole 

 into the sea between Greenland and Spitzbergen. 



" This being so, it seems to me that the plain thing 

 for us to do is to make our way into the current on that 

 side of the Pole where it flows northward, and by its 

 help to penetrate into those regions which all who have 

 hitherto worked against it, have sought in vain to reach. 



* The experience of our expedition however does not point to any 

 such eastward-flowing current along the Siberian coast. 



