408 APPENDIX V 



which are of great importance on account of their powerful 

 influence on the physical conditions of the surrounding regions of 

 sea and atmosphere. By its oceanographical investigations in 1910 

 and 1911 the Fram expedition has made important contributions 

 to our knowledge of many of these currents. We shall first speak 

 of the investigations in the North Atlantic in 1910, and afterwards 

 of those in the South Atlantic in 1911. 



Investigations in the North Atlantic in June and 



July, 1910. 



The waters of the Northern Atlantic Ocean, to the north of 

 lats. 30° and 40° N., are to a great extent in drifting motion 

 north-eastward and eastward from the American to the European 

 side. This drift is what is popularly called the Gulf Stream. To 

 the west of the Bay of Biscay the eastward flow of water divides 

 into two branches, one going south-eastward and southward, which 

 is continued in the Canary Current, and the other going north- 

 eastward and northward outside the British Isles, which sends 

 comparatively warm streams of water both in the direction of 

 Iceland and past the Shetlands and Faroes into the Norwegian 

 Sea and north-eastward along the west coast of Norway. This 

 last arm of the Gulf Stream in the Norwegian Sea has been well 

 explored during the last ten or fifteen years; its course and extent 

 have been charted, and it has been shown to be subject to great 

 variations from year to year, which again appear to be closely 

 connected with variations in the development and habitat of 

 several important species of fish, such as cod, coal-fish, haddock, 

 etc., as well as with variations in the winter climate of Norway, 

 the crops, and other important conditions. By closely following 

 the changes in the Gulf Stream from year to year, it looks as if we 

 should be able to predict a long time in advance any great changes 

 in the cod and haddock fisheries in the North Sea, as well as varia- 

 tions in the winter climate of North-Western Europe. 



