69 



nu Differentserne ere saaledes ogsaa her vel paaviselige om 

 end mindre end i Overfladen. For tydeligt at kunne mar- 

 kere disse optrædénde Differentser paa en let overskuelig 

 Maade, har jeg benyttet forskjellige Farver. Saaledes ere 

 de Strøg, hvor Saltgenalten beløber siv til 3.50 ";„ eller 

 derunder, betegnede med blaa Farve, de Strøg, hvor Salt- 

 gehalten ligger mellem 3.50 og 3.55 "/„. med rod Farve. 

 medens de Vandmasser, der ifølge Observationerne besidde 

 in Saltmængde af over 3.55 " ,,. ere tegnede med ennoget 

 kraftigere rød Farve. I Nærheden at' Rysterne er Kartet 

 overalt ufarvet uden Hensyn til. om Våndet der henhører 

 under den ene eller, den anden al' de tre Hovedgrupper. 



Den uregelmæssige Fordeling at Saltgehalten i de 

 større Dyb, som det saaledes tegnede Kart adviser, maa 

 unegtelig betegnes som meget paafaldende. At Saltmæng- 

 derne paa Bankerne og i den sydlige Del af Østhavet paa 

 det Nærmeste tindes at svare til den. som det i Overfladen 

 svommeiule varme Atlanterhavsvand besidder. kan ikke 

 synes overraskende. Havet er her meget grandt, og det 

 deri Hydende Vand besidder overalt en Temperatur af over 

 11 og maa saaledes nærmest henføres til den nordover fry- 

 dende Atlanterhavsstrøm, med hvilken det da ogsaa helt 

 naturligt har Saltgehalt tiltælles. Ligedverfor de store Dyb 

 maatte man derimod paa Forhaand vente et andet Resul- 

 tat. Temperaturen ligger her uden Fndtagelse under 0° 

 ja paa de fleste Steder endog under — 1°. og det kunde 

 derfor synes rimeligst at tilskrive det der Hydende Vand 

 polar Oprindelse. Det fremgaar imidlertid med Bestemt- 

 hed af alle mig bekjendte Undersøgelser over Saltmæng- 

 derne i de forskjellige Have. at de fra arktiske Egne ud- 

 gaaende Strømme uden TJndtagelse fører Vand af lavere 

 Saltgehalt end de fra de mere tempererede Himmelstrog 

 udgaaende Varmvandsstrømme, og man skulde derfor i de 

 dybere og koldere Lag af det ber undersøgte Hav vente 

 at tinde en Vandmasse med adskilligt lavere Saltgehalt end 

 den. der er funden i det i Overfladen og nærmest under 

 ilen Hydende Vand. som aabenbart skriver sig fra varmere 

 Eune. Hvad der virkelig tinder Sted er desuagtet dette, 

 at det i de dybere liggende Lag Hydende, iskolde Vand 

 paa store Strækninger viser sig at have en Saltgehalt. der 

 temmelig noie svarer til den, der er lunden i den atlan- 

 tiske ( UerHadestrøm. 



Saavel af denne Grand som ogsaa af andre Grunde, 

 som jeg senere skal fremfore. Huder jeg det rimeligt at 

 gjøre den Antagelse, at Våndet paa de større Dyb paa de 

 Steder, som i Kartet Hudes aHagte med rod Farve, enten 

 udelukkende skriver sig fra varmere Egne eller under en- 

 hver ( (mstændighed er saa opblandet med saadant Vand. 

 at det Hele derved antager en tydelig atlantisk- Karakter, 

 medens Våndet i de med blaa Farve betegnede Streknin- 

 ger mere eller mindre skarpt udpræger sig som hidrorende 

 fra polar Oprindelse. 



Hvor det gjælder at besvart 1 Spørgsmaalet om. hvor- 

 ledes de ovre Lag rinder Vei ned til Bunden, da synes 

 dette ikke at kunne besvares paa anden Maade, end at det 

 atlantiske Vand under stadig Afkjoling maa synke gjen- 

 nem det iskolde og fordrive dette, under enhver Omstæn- 



cent; and there too, accordingly, tin- differences are appre- 

 ciable, though smaller than at the surface. Kor the hetter 

 apprehension of these differences. the sections in vvbich 

 fchey occur have been differently coloured in the Plate: 

 blue indicates a percentage of 3.50, and under: red. a per- 

 centage ranging from 3.50 to 3.55: and a somewhat deeper 

 red. a higher percentage than 3.55. Along the coasts, the 

 Plate is left uncoloured. no matter to which of the ti 

 principal groups the water there belongs. 



This irregular distribution of the amount of salt at 

 great depths, as shown in the Plate, is certainly a most 

 remarkable phenomenon. That the proportion of salt on 

 the banks and in the southern portion of Barents' Sea 

 should agree pretty closely with that contained in the warm 

 surface-water of the Atlantic, is not indeed surprising: the 

 depth is in both localities comparatively triHing. and the 

 water, having everywhere a temperature above 0°, must 

 be referred to the warm Atlantic current; its percentage 

 of salt is therefore naturaJly the same as that of the Gulf 

 Streani. For the great depths, ou the other hand. 

 there was reason to expect a very different result. Here, 

 the temperature is without exception below 0°, nav in most 

 places below — 1°; aud bence, as regards the origin of 

 such water, there seems much to urge in favour of au in- 

 draught from the Polar Sea. Of the observations undertaken 

 to determine the amount of salt in sea-water, all with 

 which I am acquainted furnish incoutestible proof that the 

 water of the currents Howing from the Arctic Ocean has 

 a lower percentage of salt thau that of the warm currents 

 Howing from more temperate regions : and the proportion 

 of salt in the deeper and colder strata of the tract of 

 ocean explored by the Expedition was expected. therefore, 

 to prove considerably lower than that observed at the sur- 

 face or a short distance beueatb it. where the water is ob- 

 viously an iuflux from warmer climes. But such was not 

 the case. for the amount of salt found iu the water of the 

 cold area. where the temperature is below zero. agrees, 

 in some localities. pretty closely with that in the water of 

 the Atlanic surface-current. 



This phenomenon. in conjunction with reasons that 

 will afterwards be explained, ■ has led me to assume. that 

 the water met with at great depths in the sections coloured 

 red in the Plate, is eitber exclusively the result of an in- 

 flux from warmer regions, or is. at least. so mixed with 

 such water as to have distinctly acquired Atlantic charac- 

 teristics: whereas the water in the blue-coloured sections 

 would seem to indicate more or less determinately a Polar 

 origin. 



As to the question involved in the descent of the 

 upper strata to the bottom, the only way in which this 

 eau take place seems to be by the Atlantic surface-water, 

 as it parts with its excess of heat, gradually sinking through 



the water of the coM area. and displacing it; at all events. 



