I912. No. 12. THE SEA WEST OF SPITSBERGEN. 49 



mediate warm layer under the East Greenland Polar Current [cf. Helland- 

 Hansex and Koefoed, 1909, pp. 309 ct seq., 319; Helland-Hansen and 

 Xansex, 1909, pp. 280 ct seq., 317 et seq.], as well as the branch flowing 

 northward into the North Polar Basin and forming the intermediate warm 

 layer there [cf. Nansen, 1902 and 1906; Helland-Hansen and Koefoed, 

 1909, pp. 308 et seq.]. 



The J J 'estiva rd BrmicJi. Sections I\', V and VI and our maps for 50, 

 100, 200 and 300 metres prove that this branch flows westward in the 

 region of Stats. 22 and 21, in about 77'^ 40' and 78'^ N. Lat., while 

 Stats. 23 and 24 are situated in the cold central area of this sea [cf. 

 Nansen, 1906J. This agrees remarkably well with the observations during 

 the Belgica Expedition of 1905 and with our previous maps of the current. 

 At the Belgica Station 23, in 77- 25' N. and 4'^ 3' E. the water of 

 this branch was forming an intermediate layer between 100 and 400 metres, 

 with salinities between 35.00 and 34.95 ° 00. As the branch, according to 

 our view [cf. 1909], should run southwestward in this region, we also find 

 that the waters of the current were farther north in about 77^ 40' and 

 78*^ N. in the region of Isachsen's Stats. 22 and 21, than farther west 

 in the region of the Belgica Station 23. The resemblance between our 

 present maps for 50 and 100, and 200 metres (Pis. II and III) and our 

 earlier maps [Helland-Hansen and Koefoed, 1909, Pis. LXIII, LXIV, 

 Helland-Hansen and Nansen, 1909, p. 283, Fig. 93] is striking; but 

 the vertical Section I\' of 1910, shows that the current is broader west of 

 Spitsbergen than we had previousl}' thought. Hamberg's Stats. N and O 

 of the Nathorst Expedition 1898 [Hamberg, 1906] were in 77*^ 52' N., 

 3" 5' W. and in 78" 13' X., 2" 58' W. Hamberg found there water of 

 the same current, probably with salinities about 35.00 ^00 [cf. our remarks 

 1909, p. 280], in 100 and 500 metres, while his Stat. M., in 77*^ 39' N., 

 i'^ 18' E., was evidentl}- on the boundar}^ of the cold central area, and had 

 only a slight indication at 200 metres of the waters of the warm, saline 

 current. The observations at these stations consequently indicate very 

 nearly the same conditions in this region in 1898 as in 1910. 



The Frithjof Station I, of July 8th, 1900 (in 77 « n' N., 2" 58 W.), 

 was some distance to the west of Stat. 23 of 19 10 and southeast of the 

 Belgica Station 23 of 1905. There was observed comparativel}' warm and 

 saline water in 100, 200 and 300 metres [cf. our mention of it, 1909, 

 p. 280], a circumstance which also agrees remarkably well with all the 

 other observations. We have thus observations from four different years — 

 1898, 1900, 1905, and 1910 — which agree, and we may conclude that 

 Vid.-Selsk. Skr. L .M.-N. Kl. 1912. No. 12. 4 



