56 



DISCOVERY REPORTS 



following pairs: WS 382 and WS 476, WS 383 and WS 477, WS 384 and WS 478, 

 WS 385 and WS 479, WS 387 and WS 480. Attention has previously been drawn to 

 the fact that the observations at St. WS 383 are inaccurate owing to the great stray on 

 the water-bottle wires. Consequently this station and its corresponding station in 

 November, WS 477, have been omitted from this discussion. Table VII gives the 

 difference, multiplied by 100, of the temperatures and salinities of the February stations 

 from those of November. The figures in round brackets indicate that one or both of the 

 observations in question have been interpolated. 



From this table it will be noticed that at all stations the surface layer is warmer in 

 February than in November, which is mainly a seasonal difference. The thickness of the 



Fig. 66. Relative topography of the sea surface, April 1927. 



layer of higher temperature in February is greater to the north-west (Sts. WS 382 and 

 WS 476) and becomes thinner across the strait as far as Sts. WS 387 and WS 480 ; this 

 is due to the greater development of the relatively warmer north-east current along 

 the north-western side of the strait in February. 



At all stations the layer immediately below the surface layer is warmer in November, be- 

 cause of the increased thickness and spread across the strait of the warm deep water in that 

 month. The excess of temperature in November over that of February is least marked 

 at the station closest to King George Island, where a slight negative difference (February- 

 November) is found only at 300 m. (At = — o-oi° C). The thickness of the layer in 



