134 MAKIOlSr AND GENERAL GREENE EXPEDITIONS 



a volume of 2.7 million cubic meters per second. Reference to the 

 position of the two sections indicates that section E. did not extend 

 offshore so far as section Q, and it is probable, therefore, that a 

 small portion of the southerly current was missed. This fact nor 

 the difference in time fails to explain, however, the marked decrease 

 of about 30 percent in the volume of the Labrador Current in the 

 above passage. 



Section S. — Proceeding southward about 60 miles, two bands of 

 alternately directed current intersected the section between the 

 Grand Banks and Flemish Cap. The slope band represents the 

 Labrador Current with a volume of 1.1 million cubic meters per 

 second. The offshore band was Atlantic Current. 



Although the observations composing sections R and S were not 

 synoptic, the decrease in the volume of the southbound current from 

 2.7 to 1.1 million cubic meters per second strongly suggests an east- 

 ward branching. If the course of the current, St. John's to Flemish 

 Cap, as shown on figure 126, page 170, be com])ared with the velocity 

 at Q, R, and S, it is estimated that the distribution of the Labrador 

 Current on reaching the northern part of the Grand Banks was as 

 follows : 



Labrador Current 



Past Cape Race. -.. , 



Eastward just north of Flemish Cap. 



Southward between Grand Banks and Flemish Cap 



Volume of Labrador Current in American sector. 



mVsX10-« Percent 



The spreading and shallowing of the Labrador Current on meet- 

 ing the Grand Banks' promontory and the resulting distribution 

 along the above routes is probably subject to considerable variation. 

 The fluctuation in the Cape Race branch from 10 percent of the 

 whole in 1928 to 20 percent in 1934 is quite illustrative of the 

 behavior. 



Section T. — A volume of 1.5 million cubic meters per second indi- 

 cates that little change had occurred in the Labrador Current between 

 sections S and T. The margin of the Atlantic Current embraced 

 by stations 1661 to 1664 had a volume of 8.4 million cubic meters per 

 second. 



Section U. — Continuing only 40 miles southward the volume of 

 the cold current increased to 2.2 million cubic meters per second. 

 This flooding is explained on the surface current map (fig. 117) 

 where Labrador Current from in on the bank recurved out into deep 

 water. 



Section V. — About 60 miles downstream from section U, the vol- 

 ume of the south-flowing band increased to a maximum of 4.1 mil- 

 lion cubic meters per second. If reference be made to the corre- 

 sponding temperature and salinity profiles (figs. 98 and 99), it will 

 be perceived that the additional discharge was due to an indraft 

 of the Atlantic Current. The Labrador Current alone is estimated 

 to have been 2 million cubic meters per second in volume. 



Section W. — The Labrador Current at the Tail of the Grand Banks 

 discharged at the rate of 1.6 million cubic meters per second. The 



