.^oo 



DEPTHS OF THE OCEAN 



miles to the south-west in the course of twenty-four hours in 

 lat. 40' N. and long. 55' W. It would be interesting to know 

 whether these conditions are constant in this region, as it 

 might then be of importance for navigation, or whether there 

 may be certain irregularities, perhaps one or more progressing 

 vortices. 



As a matter of fact, the general current was here split into 

 two branches. Whether it proceeds as two separate currents 

 or not is difficult to judge from our investigations, as we had 

 too few stations in the neighbourhood, and there are no 

 previous observations. Our section from Newfoundland to the 

 Bay of Biscay (Fig. 99, p. 115) has a suggestion of a similar 

 division at Station 85, but it is too 

 slight to base any conclusions upon. 

 It is, however, known that farther 

 south there occur " bands " of water 

 with comparatively low temperatures 

 in the surface - layers of the Gulf 

 Stream. But we are on many points 

 deficient in our knowledge of this most 

 important ocean current, among other 

 things also with regard to the yearly 

 variations to which it is subject. 



Fig. 205. — AlR-rEMPERATURE AT 



THE Faroe Islands 

 G, when the wind blew from the 

 "Gulf Stream" region; and P, 

 when the wind blew from the East 

 Iceland Arctic-current resfion. 



It is a well-known fact that the 

 climatic conditions of northern 

 Europe are influenced by that branch 

 of the Gulf Stream which flows north- 

 wards along the shores of the British 

 Isles into the Norwegian Sea. In places with such a maritime 

 climate as that of the Faroe Islands this influence is especially 

 felt. Martin Knudsen has examined some meteorological 

 observations from the Faroe Islands, and has found (see Fig. 

 205) a conspicuous difference between the temperature of the 

 air when the wind blew from the Gulf Stream region in the 

 south and west, and when it blew from the north, over the 

 Arctic East Iceland current. The difference was greatest in 

 winter (as much as 6V C.) and least in summer (smallest 

 difference ij" C). Pettersson at an early period entered on 

 the study of questions regarding oceanic influence on the 

 climate of Scandinavia, and his work on this subject has 

 been more conducive than anything else to the establishment 

 of the international investigations of North European waters. 



