722 DEPTHS OF THE OCEAN chap. 



During the first cruise of the "Michael Sars " in the 

 Norwegian Sea in 1900 I was convinced that in deep water a 

 great quantity of food would accumulate wherever a rise in the 

 specific gravity occurs, and where, consequently, all sinking 

 bodies either stop or have their sinking velocity reduced, 

 forming as it were a "bottom" in mid-water. In my report on 

 the cruise^ I mentioned the matter, and the following observa- 

 tions appear to confirm this hypothesis. 



In the Sargasso Sea series of hauls with closing-nets were 

 taken at Stations 50 and 63, the net employed at Station 50 



St 63. 



GtZS2i ^ 5 J ;> ,g 9 26o ; z i i, s h 1 a .9 27o / z j .', 5 t, y s .9 28o 



f.^^yix-kr ^p°/9°/^° /r /(,'■/$-■ iJ,- li- iz" >/" 10' 9" e° 7° 0° ■?' &' 3° 



1> 



\ 



X, 



"\ 



Fig. 516.— Curves of Temperature {t") and Specific Gravity (a,), Station 63. 

 (Sargasso Sea.) 



being i metre in diameter, and at Station 63 half a metre in 

 diameter, made of very fine silk. At Station 50 hauls from 



200 to o metres gave 3 c.c, containing 22 species of Crustaceans. 

 500 to 200 „ 1.5 „ 22 „ 



1000 to 500 „ 6 „ 51 „ 



At Station 63 hauls from 



100 to o metres gave 1.6 c.c. 

 200 to 100 ,, 0.5 „ 



500 to 200 „ 1.6 ,, 



^ Hjort, Die ersle Nordmeerfahrt des norwegischen Fischereidampfers ^'■Michael Sars" 

 igoo, Petermann's Mitteilungen, Bd. 47, 1901. 



