34 



Strækning allerede bestemt, nemlig østenfor Beeren Eiland, 

 og en ydre Grændse foreløbig kjendt mod Øst ved de tal- 

 rige og udmerkede Observationer. som den østerrigske Po- 

 larfarer Loitn. Weyprecht har anstillet og velvilligen med- 

 delte Professor Mohn til Albeiryttelse. Disse Omstændig- 

 heder tillade en saa vidt gaaende Orientering i Feltet, at 

 man kan gjøre en Beregning over den Tid. Undersogelserne 

 ved Expeditionen antagelig ville komme til at tåge. En 

 saadan Beregning, hvis Resultat nedenfor skal meddeles, 

 viser, at der for Tidens Skyld Intet er til Hinder mod 

 at optage denne Undersøgelse af Østishavet inden Expedi- 

 tionens Undersøgelseskreds. 



Ved de. sidste Expeditioner af Professor Nordenskiold 

 er det kariske Havs fysiske, og biologiske Forhold blevne 

 undersogte. Vor Expeditions Undersøgelse af Østishavet 

 vil knytte Undersogelserne fra det hele Atlanterhav til 

 dem, der ere gjorte og forhaabeutlig til Sommeren afNor- 

 deiiskiold blive gjorte ved Kysterne af det asiatiske Ishav 

 og dem. der ere gjorte i endnu nordligere Egne af den 

 østerrigsk-ungarske Polar-Expeditinn. 



I Forbindelse med Undersogelserne af Østishavet ei- 

 det onskeligt at benytte Anledningen paa Rejsen langs 

 Finmarkens Kyst til zoologiske Undersogelser i nogle af 

 de Fjorde, der hidtil ikke ere undersøgte af vore Zoologer, 

 saasom Altenljord, Porsangerfjord eller Laxefjord og Tana- 

 fjord. Endvidere er det af Vigtighed for de meterologiske 

 Observationer. som udføres paa Expeditionen, at de nær- 

 meste Stationer i Norge, med hvilke Observationerne fra 

 Havet blive at sammenstille, inspiceres ved samme Lejlig- 

 hed i Lighed med hvad der de foregaaende Aar har ran- 

 det Sted. Disse Stationer ere Alten (Bossekop) Gjesvær 

 og Vardø, af hvilke i alle Fald den første og sidste ligge 

 lige i den til de ovennevnte Undersøgelsers Udførelse 

 førende Vej. 



Undersøgelserne af Havet niellem Nordkap, .lan Mayen 

 og Spidsbergen antages at burde foretages paa samme 

 Maade. som man tidligere er gaaet frem paa. nemlig ved 

 Tversnit der opgaaes nogenlunde lodret mod Kysterne. 

 Da Havbroen mellem Norge og Spidsbergen og Spidsber- 

 gens Vestkyst gaar i en mere nordlig og vestlig Retning 

 end Norges Kyst ved Tromsø, blive Tversnittenes Retning 

 at lægge mere langs Parallelcirklerne end tidligere. En 

 Overgang heri kan naturligst ske ved at lægge et Par min- 

 dre Snit mellem Beeren-Eiland og Norge i Vinkel med 

 Toppunkt ude i Havet omtrent midt imellem to større 

 Tversnit. 



lndtil Beeren Eiland (75" N.) begges de store Tver- 

 snit naed samme indbyrdes Afstand som Snittene søndenfor 

 fra 1*77. Det sydligste at' de nye Snit ev Portsættelsen 



vestover al' det nordligste i 1*77 oparbejdede Snit. Yest- 



bottom-water has been already determined for a consider- 

 able distance. viz.- east of Beeren Eiland ; and we are fur- 

 nished. provisionally, with an éxtreme eastern limit in the 

 many and excellent observations tåken by the Austrian 

 Arctic traveller, Lieutenant Weyprecht. and which he has 

 kindly placed at the disposal of Professor Mohn. These 

 data suffice to give some little familiarity with the salient 

 features of the section, and bence afford a means of approxi- 

 mately computing the probable duration of the period re- 

 quired for the proposed investigations. A calculation has 

 accordingly been made. and with such results that, as regards 

 time, there will be nothing that need exclude a scientific 

 investigation of the Barentz Sea ' from the exploratory work 

 of the Expedition. 



On the latest Swedish Expeditions. the physical and 

 biological conditions of the Kara Sea were investigated by 

 Pr - ofessor Nordenskiold. The exploration of the Murman 

 Sea by the Norwegian Expedition will connect the investiga- 

 tions embracing the whole of the Atlantic with those that 

 have been. and next summer, there is reason to believe, 

 will be, carried out by Nordenskiold in the Arctic Ocean 

 off the coasts of Asia. and those achieved in still higher 

 latitudes by the Austrio-Huugarian Polar .Expedition. 



When coursing along the coast of Finmark to the 

 Murman Sea. advantage shall be tåken of the opportunity 

 then afforded of prosecuting zoological work in divers of 

 the fjords not vet investigated by our naturalists, for ex- 

 ample the Altenfjord, the Porsanger or Laxefjord, and the 

 Tanafjord. Moreover. it is important, as regards the me- 

 teorological observations ot the Expedition. that the sta- 

 tions — at the nearest points on the Norwegian coast — 

 with which the observations tåken in the open sea will 

 have to be compared, shall on that occasion be duly in- 

 spected, as ' oft the two preceding cruises. The stations 

 in question are Alten (Bossekop). Gjesvær, and Vardø, 

 two of which. the first and the last, lie directly in the 

 route of the Expedition to the aforesaid field of investiga- 

 tion. 



For the exploration of the Sea extending between the 

 North Cape. Jan Mayen, and Spitzbergen. the best system 

 will. it is believed. be that prevrously adopted, viz. of 

 laying transverse sections as nea.rly as may be perpen- 

 dicular to the coast. The edge of the bank between Nor- 

 way and Spitzbergen, as also the western stores of that 

 island, extending more to the north and west than does 

 the coast of Norway at Tromsø, the transverse sec- 

 tions will have to be given a position somewhat more con- 

 centric with the parallels of latitude than in the tracts 

 previously explored. With this object in view, the most 

 natural transition may he effected by laying at an angle, 

 with the vertex seawards, a couple of smaller sections be- 

 ween Beeren Eiland and JNorway, about midwav between 

 two larger sections. 



As lar north as Beeren Eiland (lat. 75°), the large 

 transverse sections will have to lie at the same distance each 

 from each as tliose explored south of that localitv on last 

 year's cruise (1X77). The most solltherly of the new sec- 



