1906. No.3. AMUNDSEN’S OCEANOGRAPHIC OBSERVATIONS IN 1901. 57 
V. The Waters of the Northern Norwegian Sea and the 
East Greenland Polar Current. 
Capt. Amundsen’s observations at the eleven Stations (13—23, 
Table II) in the sea north of Jan Mayen and east of Greenland, are espe- 
cially valuable; for they present very graphically the manner of formation of 
the Bottom Water in the Norwegian Sea. This water fills the whole basin 
everywhere below a depth of, say at least 1000 metres; it forms 
at least two thirds of its bulk of water. During the cruise with the 
Michael Sars in 1900 it was discovered that this bottom-water has a 
remarkably uniform salinity varying slightly between 34°89 and 34'92 
or 34°93 “/oo!. Its temperature varies slightly between —r'r and 
—1°3°C. in the deepest strata near the bottom, an rises extremely slowly 
upwards into the higher strata, It has generally been assumed that this 
cold bottom-water was of Polar origin and derived from the East Green- 
land Polar Current. On an earlier occasion? the writer has already 
pointed out that observations prove that this cannot be the case; this 
bottom-water must be formed on the surface of the sea in the very 
region of Amundsen’s Stations, and in fact by cooling of the water 
through radiation during the winter. 
This is clearly seen, if Amundsen’s observations be compared with 
those of other expedition in neighbouring regions. Unfortunately no 
other deep-sea observations were taken in these tracts during the summer 
- of 1901, and it is, therefore, necessary to use those taken during earlier 
years, by various expeditions. As the distribution of temperature and 
salinity may no doubt vary much from one year to another, it cannot 
be expected that a very accurate picture of the distribution at a particular 
moment will be obtained by comparing observations from different years, 
but still it may be assumed that certain well marked and general features, 
of both vertical and horizontal distribution, prevail in most years, and it 
1 As was already mentioned above, p. 12, it makes a difference whether the salinity of 
this bottom-water be computed from the Specific Gravity, or from the amount of 
Chlorine, (as found by Titration). 
2 F. Nansen, Oceanography of the North Polar Basin. The Norwegian North Polar 
Expedition 1893—1896. Scientific Results, Vol. III, No. 9, 1902, p. 416. 
