50 BJØRN HELLAND-HANSEN AND FRIDTJOF NANSEN. M.-N. Kl. 



this branch of the Spitsbergen Atlantic Current flows regularly westward 

 and southwestward in this region. 



The Northward Branch. Sections VI, VII, and VIII of July and August, 

 1 910, in connection with the observations at the Belgica stations to the 

 north and northwest, prove that a narrow tongue of water with salinities 

 about and slightly above 35.0 0/00 {viz. 35.02 *^,oo in 200 metres at Stat. 37 

 of 1910, and 35.01 0/00 at the Belgica Stats. 11 a and 12, in 100 to 300 

 metres) extends northwards along the northern Spitsbergen coast at depths 

 between 100 or 150 metres and 300 or 400 metres. This water probably 

 flows into the North Polar Basin along the slope of the continental shelf 

 trending northeast and eastward north of Spitsbergen. According to what 

 has been said above (p. 17) about the gradual decrease of the salinity of 

 the Spitsbergen Atlantic Current during its northward course, we do not 

 consider it probable that as a rule the maximum salinity of this northward 

 branch, entering the North Polar Basin, much exceeds the above values 

 35.01 and 35.02 0/00 ^. We therefore consider this to be the probable 

 upper limit of the salinit}' of the intermediate, comparatively warm water- 

 layers of the North Polar Basin, below 200 metres, formed by this inflowing 

 water. By a careful analysis of the determinations during the Fram Ex- 

 pedition, Nansen [1906, pp. 99 d seq\ came to the conclusion that the 

 salinity of this water, as well as of the bottom-water of the North Polar 

 Basin, should be about 35.08 and 35.10 '^ 00. We think that the later 

 researches of the Belgica Expedition and the Isachsen Expedition make 

 it highly improbable that salinities as high as these occur in the inter- 

 mediate layer of this Basin, and we therefore think that even Nansen's 

 corrected values must have been too high. 



According to the observations at the Belgica stations in the north, it 

 seems probable that the greater part of the water carried by the north- 

 ward continuation of the Spitsbergen Atlantic Current into the North 

 Polar Basin has salinities between 34.95 °/oo and 35.0 '^oo. 



^ This might seem to be contradicted by the fact that at Hamberg's Stat. T, of Aug. 27, 

 1898, in 79O 58' N., 9O 35' E., he found salinities of 35.17 ^/00 in 45 — 200 metres and 

 35.12 ''/00 in 435 metres. As before mentioned, his values are too high, as is proved 

 by his salinities of the cold bottom-water; but even if the above values be reduced 

 by o.io 0,00 vvhich was found to be the probable error at other stations, we obtain 

 salinities of 35.07 *^ oOi which seems very high. 



