DAVIS STRAIT AND LABRADOR SEA 



77 



is renewed at a very slow rate. Baffin Bay bottom water (as cold 

 as —0.39° C. and with uniform salinity ca 34.49%o below the level 

 of Davis Strait sill (figs. 142 and 143) is, of course, directly barred 

 from the much warmer water of the Labrador Sea. The eventual 

 displacement of even the deepest layers in Baffin Bay, however, most 

 probably takes place through upwelling and mixing with lighter 

 water iii the bay itself and thus escapes as Baffin Land Current. 



A computation of the rate of heat transported by the Baffin Land 

 Current and the West Greenland Current across the Davis Strait 

 Ridge through section 2 (fig. 40) has been made from the God- 

 thaaVs observations, stations 167-175. 



Average 

 tempera- 

 ture (°C) 



Rate of heat 



transfer 



(°C mVsX 



10-«) 



Baffin Land Current 



West Greenland current. 



-0.6 

 1.2 



-1.6 

 1.4 



The fact that the GodthaaVs section 2 was taken in September 1928 

 only a short distance from section 1 (fig. 38) made by the Michael 

 Sars in August 1924 affords a good opportunity also to learn what 

 annual variations, if any, occur in the waters of Davis Strait. The 

 sections to which reference is made have been published by Martens 

 (1929) and Riis-Carstensen (1936). A comparison between the two 

 profiles shows that the north and south currents occupied similar 

 relative positions. It is surprising, therefore, to find on comparing 

 summertime temperature profiles that the slope band of the West 

 Greenland Current was much warmer and saltier in 1924 than in 

 1928. The actual figures taken in the heart of the current, at 500- 

 meters depth on the Greenland slope, are — 



The temperature and salinity of the Baffin Land Current for the 

 two summers, on the other hand, was nearly constant. 



The transport of salt through Davis Strait based on the observa- 

 tions of stations contained in section 2 (fig. 40) was — 



Although the West Greenland Current was of higher average 

 salinity than the Baffin Land Current, the much greater volume of 

 the latter resulted in more salt being transported out of Baffin Bay 



