ON THK FORAMINIFERA OF THE FAROE CHANNEL. 



165 



The channel to the northward of the Wyville 

 Thomson Ridge is filled up to the top of the ridge 

 with ice-cold water, but none of it appears to pass 

 over into the Atlantic. 



The cold water at the top of the ridge is met by 

 the stream of warm Atlantic water, which flows 

 steadily to the north-east. A mixture takes place, 

 and the whole passes on to the coasts of Norway ; 

 thus we see that this ridge forms a barrier or 

 boundary-line between two regions, so to speak, 

 each having its own peculiar climate. 



The annexed diagram gives a good idea of the 

 two areas, and also shows that although the water 

 on the one side of the ridge is warmer at depths 

 exceeding 200 fathoms than that on the other side, 

 yet on both sides the minimum temperature is only 

 reached at the bottom. This warm salt Atlantic 



water, as it becomes cooled in passing to Norway, 

 sinks and carries heat down with it, in the same 

 way as the Gulf Stream water was found to sink 

 as it approached our own coasts, so that while we 

 find ice-cold water at a depth of 250 fathoms in 

 the Faroe Channel, it is also found at a depth of 

 400 to 600 fathoms off the coasts of Norway. 



In the cold area of the Faroe Channel the tem- 

 perature of the water at depths exceeding 350 

 fathoms is under 32° F., whilst in the warm area the 

 temperature at similar depths is above 42° F. 



The track of the warm tropical waters of the 

 Gulf Stream can be traced along the floor of the 



