35 



grændsen for disse Tversnit er Østgrændsen for Grønlands- 

 isen, eller om denne skulde være usædvanlig Langt tilbage- 

 trukket mod Vest, en 'Linje, der tillader ved Lodskuddene 

 at opnaa en sikker Kundskab om Havbundens Form i det 

 Store og et nøjagtigt Studium af det her antagelig værende 

 dyriske Protoplasma, som fandtes i 1877 ved Man Maven. 

 Vestenfor Spidsbergen er Bundens Form i det Store tagel 

 nogenlunde kjendt eiter de svenske Expeditioners Lodnin- 

 ger. Men da paa den Tid disse foretoges (1868) endnu in- 

 tet paalideligt Dybvandsthermometer havdes og Skrabninger 

 paa store Dyb med store Apparater ikke vare komne igang, 

 vil det tor vor Expeditions Øjemed være nødvendigt at 

 gjennemgaa det hele Pelt systematisk. Da Afstanden mel- 

 lem Spidsbergens Vestkyst og Grønlandsisen aftager raskt 

 mod Nord, blive Tversnittene her efterhaanden kortere og 

 kunne derfor samtlige begges helt over den nævnte Afstand 

 meil en indbyrdes Afstand af en god Breddegrad. 



Paa Bankerne sættes Lodskud saa tæt, at disses Af- 

 held mod Dybet bliver bestemt paa en utvetydig Maade. 

 I T de i det store Ishavsdyb vil en Meridiangrad (60 Kvart- 

 mil | antagelig være en passende Afstand mellem Lodskud- 

 dene i samme Tversnit. 



En Gjenstand for speciel Ohdersøgelse bliver den 

 varme Atlanterhavs Strøms Lol) og Udstrækning mellem 

 Beeren Eiland og Spidsbergen. Denne I ndersøgelse. der 

 fordrer Rækker af tættere Lodskud med Temperaturrækker, 

 lover at blive af overordentlig stor Betydning for Havstrøm- 

 menes Theori, da den varme Strom her Hyder nordover 

 mellem 2 sydovergaaende Polarstrømme, Grønlandshavets j i 

 Vest og Østspidsbergen — Beeren Eilands mod Ost. 



Dersom Isforholdene tillade det. udstrækkes Undersø- 

 gelserne til Spidsbergens Nordkyst. Antagelig er her Po- 

 larstrømmen alene raadende og dermed en passende Grændse 

 sat for Expeditionens Arbejder mod Nord. 



At udstra-kke Rejsen saa langt ind i Polarstrømmen, 

 som Isforholdene tillade, er af Vigtighed for 1 ndersouelsen 

 af det i 1*77 ved Jan Mayen fundne Protoplasma. 



Undersøgelserne antages at burde deles i 3 Afdelin- 

 ger. mellem hvilke anløbes nærmeste norsk Havn (Hammer- 

 fest i for Udrustning med Kul. Vand. Proviant etc. Turen 

 til Øst-Ishavet antages at burde, foretages forst, da Isen 

 her antagelig tidligere trækker sig tilbage end i Grønlands- 

 havet. Turen til Spidsberueu lægges til August Maaned, 

 der er den bedste Aarstid paa disse Kanter. Turen 

 vesterud til Gronlandshavet nordenfor Jan Mayen bliver 

 saaledes den 2den i Rækken. 



tions \\ ill extend westward from the most northerly section 

 investigated the year before. The western limit for these 

 sections will coincide with the eastern boundary of the 

 Greenland ice-barrier, or. in the event of thai barrier hav- 

 ing receded unusually far west, with a line allowing the 

 contour of the sea-bed on the Greenland side to be 

 broadly determined, and offering ample opportunity for 

 a detailed study of the animal protoplasma met with in 

 1>77 off the island of .lan Mayen, and believed to occcur 

 also in this region. West of Spitzbergen, the contour of 

 the bottom was broadly determined by soundings tåken on 

 the Swedish Expeditions. No trustworthy deep-sea thermo- 

 meter having however at that time been devised (1868), 

 nor dredgings essayed at great depths with apparatns of 

 pfoportionate dimensions, the whole of the tract will need 

 to be gone over anew aud systematåcally investigated. The 

 distance between the west coast of Spitzbergen and the 

 Greenland ice-barrier rapidly diminishing towards the north, 

 the transVerse sections heri' will get gradually shorter, and 

 may accordingly be laid right across. at intervals slightly 

 exceeding one degree of latitude. 



I )n the banks, the soundings shall be tåken with suf- 

 ticient frequence to admit of clearly determining the seaward 

 incline. In the great Arctic ba^in. intervals of 60 miles. 

 or one meridional degree. will. it is believed, be a suitable 

 distance at which to sound in one and the same section. 



A subject for special investigation- will be the flow 

 and extent of the warm Atlantic current between' Beeren 

 Eiland and Spitzbergen. The solution of the problem 

 therein involved. which calls for series of closer soundings, 

 together with serial temperatures. cannot but furnish highly 

 important data bearing directly on the theory of ocean cur- 

 rents. the warm Atlantic water here flowing northwards 

 between two southward-setting Polar currents, — a western 

 through the Greenland Sea. and an eastern passing along 

 the shores of East Spitzbergén T and Beeren Eiland. 



Provided the further course of the vessel be unobstructed 

 by ice. the Expedition will extend its investigations to the 

 North Coast n\ Spitzbergen. In this region, probably. the 

 Polar current alone prevails. and may. therefore. be tåken 

 as a proper boundary for the northern neid of exploratory 

 research. 



By pushing on as far as practicable into the Polar 

 current. i. e. till ice shall bar farther progress, much valu- 

 able material may be collected for prosecuting the investi- 

 untion of the protoplasma found in 1877 off the island of 

 .lan Mayen. 



The exploratory work to be done on each cruise 

 should. it is opined, embrace three intervals. or periods, 

 the Expedition making, so soon as the investigations allotted 

 to each shall have been completed. for the nearest Norwe- 

 gian port (Hammerfest), to retit the vessel. taking in there 

 a supply of coal. water, provisions, &c. The Murman Sea 

 should. it is believed, be the first region explored. the ice 

 there most probably breaking up somewhat earlier in the 

 season than is the case with that of the Greenland Sea. 

 .The trip to Spitzbergen will be deferred till August, gener- 



