u 



O. Nordgaard. 



Thus it appears that the bed of the Salten Fiord, Avhieh has 

 a maximum depth of at least 380 meters, slopes fairly evenly out- 

 Avards, but someAvhat steeply inwards; for at the outer end of ^alt- 

 strommen 40 m. was reached and at the inner 60 m. 



It is said that in the most sliallow pai-t of the stream tlie depth 

 is only about 20 meters. 



.Several soundings were taken in the Skjerstad Fiord, by means 

 of which a very good idea of the depth can be formed. 



If not othei'wise specified, it may be taken for granted that 

 the soundings were made in the middle of the fiord. At the end 

 of the fiord (Skjerstad Fiord I) the bottom was reached at 30 — 50 

 m. About 1.5 miles out (S. II) the depth was 100 — 185. S. Ill and 

 S. IV lie in the outer half of that part of the Skjerstad Fiord 

 which runs southwards, and the depths here were respectively 230 

 and 330 meters. 



Opposite Kvænflaaet (S. V.) I sounded at -120 m., and in the 

 arm of the fiord close to Fauske (S. VI) at 100 — 150 m. ; while 

 the depth in the middle of the fiord opposite Fauske (S. VII, VIII) was 

 470 — 490 m. Just off the coast of Skjerstad in the direction of the 

 Misvær Fiord the depth was 80—50 m. and at the mouth of the 

 Misvær Fiord (S. X) 10 — 30 m., while a little further in the same 

 fiord the depth was 50 m. (S. XI). On the other hand, the depth 

 in the middle of the Skjerstad Fiord just opposite the church (S. XII) 

 was 515 m. 



A little further out (S. XIII) strangely enougli it was only 

 110 m. deep, and from here the bed again sinks to the greatest 

 depth sounded in the whole fiord, viz. 518 meters. 



Then it again inclines evenly upwards, for at the following 

 stations in the direction of Saltstrommen (S. XIV, S. XV, S. XVI) 

 the respective depths were 400, 380, 330 m. Measurements taken 

 in the middle of the fiord from the end to the inner part of Salt- 

 strommen give the following figures: 30, 50, 100, 185, 230, 330, 

 420, 470, 490, 515, 110, 518, 400, 380, 330, 40 m. 



How far the rise from 110 to 515 and 518 is an isolated 

 I)oint, or whether there is a ridge stretchhig across tlie fiord, I am 

 not able with certainty to decide. 



It will be seen from the foregoing that tiie Skjerstad Fiord is 

 considerably deeper than the Salten Fiord, and that the greatest 

 depth sounded in it up to the present time is 518 meters. 



Observations in the Skjerstad Fiord gain increased interest as 

 the Norwegian North Atlantic Expedition in 1877 had a couple of 

 stations here.') 



Temperature i-ogistratioiis are liere given for the sake of com- 

 pai'ison. 



'■'A 1877. Tile Skjerstad Fiord. 



Now I will compare tliis table with one from my series of 

 obsei'vations. 



V4I900. The Skjerstad Fiord XII. 



These last two tables resemble each otlier in so far as in both 

 of them the physical conditions from a depth of 150 m. down are 

 seen to be pretty much alike, and this can hai'dly be looked upon 

 as due to chance. 



The Skjerstad Fiord is a typical shut in basin, so tiiat there 

 can be no I'enewal of the water in its bottom from any under- 

 current. 



The temperature \\aves must come from above downwards, 

 and according to what has already been mentioned one must be 

 able to conclude that, e. g. the distribution of heat in the deep 

 is in a high degree prevented by the mixing of fresh water with 

 the surface layers. There are also signs which seem to indicate 

 that the changes in degrees of heat take i)lace exceedingly slowly 

 in the water at considerable depths. 



Reference has already been made to the conditions with regard 

 to the maximum of temperature in the month of March in the Lofot 

 i'anks. P>ut if one looks over the measurements in the Skjerstad 

 l-i'iord in the beginning of April, it will be seen that even so late 

 as that the maximum has not got very far. 



