The Spring and Summer of 1894. 405 



quickly on the surface, and large pools of fresh 

 water were formed on the floes. On June 2oth 

 the thickness was the same, although the melting 

 on the surface had now increased considerably. 

 On July 4th the thickness was 2^57 metres. On July loth 

 I w r as amazed to find that the ice had increased to 2'/6 

 metres, notwithstanding that it would now diminish several 

 centimetres daily from surface melting. I bored in many 

 places, but found it everywhere the same a thin, some- 

 what loose, ice mass lay under the old floe. I first 

 thought it was a thin ice-floe that had got pushed under, 

 but subsequently discovered that it was actually a new 

 formation of fresh-water ice on the lower side of the 

 old ice, due to the layer of fresh water of about 9 feet 

 9 inches (3 metres) in depth, formed by the melting of 

 the snow on the ice. Owing to its lightness this warm 

 fresh water floated on the salt sea water, which was at a 

 temperature of about ( i'5C.) on its surface. Thus 

 by contact with the colder sea water the fresh water 

 became cooler, and so a thick crust of ice was formed on 

 the fresh water, where it came in contact with the salt 

 water lying underneath it. It was this ice crust then 

 that augmented the thickness of the ice on its under side. 

 Later on in the summer, however, the ice diminished 

 somewhat, owing to melting on the surface. On July 23rd, 

 the old ice was only 2*33 metres, and with the newly-formed 

 layer 2-49 metres. On August loth the thickness of the old 

 ice had decreased to r94 metres, and together the aggre- 



