416 APPENDIX V 



it has been cooled between 1° and 2° C. It will thus be easily 

 understood that this loss of warmth from the Gulf Stream must 

 have a profound influence on the temperature of the air over a wide 

 area; we see how it comes about that warm currents like this are 

 capable of rendering the climate of countries so much milder, as 

 is the case in Europe; and we see further how comparatively 

 slight variations in the temperature of the current from year 

 to year must bring about considerable variations in the climate; 

 and how we must be in a position to predict the«e latter 

 changes when the temperature of the currents becomes the object 

 of extensive and continuous investigation. It may be hoped 

 that this is enough to show that far-reaching problems are here 

 in question. 



The salinity of the Gulf Stream water decreases considerably 



between the Frams southern and northern sections. While in the 



former it was in great part between 35 '4 and 35 '5 per mille, m 



the latter it is throughout not much more than 35*3 per mille. 



In this section, also, the waters of the Gulf Stream are divided by 



an accumulation of less salt and somewhat colder bank water, which 



here lies over the Rockall Bank (Station 16). On the west side 



of this bank there is again (Station 15) salter and warmer Gulf 



Stream water, though not quite so warm as on the east. From 



the Frithjof section, a little farther south, it appears that this 



western volume of Gulf Stream water is comparatively small. 



The investigations of the Fram and the Frithjof show that the 



part of the Gulf Stream which penetrates into the Norwegian 



Sea comes in the main through the Rockall Channel, between 



the Rockall Bank and the bank to the west of the British Isles; 



its width in this region is thus considerably less than was 



usually supposed. Evidently this is largely due to the influence of 



the earth's rotation, whereby currents in the northern hemisphere 



are deflected to the right, to a greater degree the farther north they 



run. In this way the ocean currents, especially in northern 



latitudes, are forced against banks and coasts lying to the right of 



