GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE NORTHERN SEAS 



31 



The surface layer results from the lowering of salinity by river waters. The 

 saline, cold layer deeper down is produced by the mixing of the lower-lying 

 Atlantic waters with the cold surface waters. 



The deep-lying masses of fully saline, cold waters are the cooled Atlantic 

 waters. Dr F. Nansen assumed that they were formed by the cooling and sink- 

 ing of surface water in winter time in the northern part of the Greenland Sea. 

 Most probably, however, they result from a local cooling and downward 



-2-0t 



2-0 'NORTH POLE' 'N— 169' 



/I 



1000 



2000- 



3000 



35%, 



Fig. .2. A. Salinity and temperature curves (Shirshov). 



1 Station 28 of 'North Pole' expedition; 



2 near North Pole according to data of 'North Pole' expedition; 



3 within region of 'Pole of Inaccessibility', according to data of Libin- 

 Cherevichny expedition aircraft 'N-169'. 



B. Diagram of distribution of four layers (Stockmann). 



1 according to data of ' North Pole ' expedition ; 



2 according to data of Libin-Cherevichny expedition. 



movement along the declivities of part of the cold, saline water, formed on the 

 surface in winter time as a result of freezing. 



This singular stratification is best seen in the light of the comparison between 

 the waters of the central part of the Arctic basin and those of the northern 

 part of the Greenland Sea situated somewhat more to the south, where the 

 warm Atlantic waters still remain on the surface {Table 5). 



Warm Atlantic waters, passing over the Nansen ridge, enter the Arctic 

 basin and spread northwards and eastwards and being heavier sink below the 

 less saline surface layer (Figs. 3 and 4). The comparative thickness of the four 

 layers changes gradually with their movement northward and eastward away 

 from the regions adjacent to the outlets to the Atlantic ; this can be seen in 



