JOHAN HJORT. M.-N. Kl. 



In being of the opinion, however, that I have gained considerable 

 knowledge of the hydrography of the West Coast from the local in- 

 vestigations I have carried out, it is chiefly due to my having had the 

 best guide in the steamship routes and the surface charts which were 

 placed at my disposal, and my special thanks are due to Messrs Petters- 

 son and Ekman for having, invariably, with the greastest kindness, 

 placed their charts at my service, and even permitted me to include, 

 herein, a chart (August 1893) which is constructed entirely on their own 

 investigations. 



Before I endeavour to give a general description of the character- 

 istic cycles of changes, produced by the seasons, in the waters along our 

 shores, I will go through the individual detailed investigations and there- 

 fore commence with: — 



The Summer Season. From the Surface Chart A, for August 

 1893, one will obtain an instructive view of the very characteristic hy- 

 drographical conditions to be met with on the sea surface during the 

 Summer. 



One sees that the Baltic Current (marked in yellow) floods the sur- 

 face of the entire Cattegat, Skagerak and the Christiania Fjord, and 

 that it flows along the Norwegian Coast with a breadth of at least 80 

 miles. From the Tables (i to 12) it will be seen that, in August 1894, 

 the saline contents of the current amounted to about 30 per 1000 on 

 the West Coast. During the .same month (i to 12) in the Christiania 

 Fjord I found this to be from 22 to 23 per 1000. Beyond the Baltic 

 Current the Bank Waters are met with, containing 34 to 32 per 1000 

 (coloured dark and light green). During the Summer the Bank Waters 

 are of but very little thickness, and this may be very clearly perceived both 

 in the Surface Charts, and, as one will subsequently see, in the Sectional 

 Charts of Depths, along the land. It is only along the West Coast of 

 Jutland that we find the Bank Waters to be of any thickness during the 

 Summer. The greatest part of the superficial waters of the North Sea 

 contain over 34 per looo, of saline matter (coloured light blue). From 

 the, so called, Faroe — Shetland Channel, a branch of the salter Atlantic 

 Water advances over the North Sea (coloured dark blue), whilst the 



