I912. No. 12. THE SEA WEST OF SPITSBERGEN. 59 



At Stat. 13 there was a minimum of 1.59° C. at 75 metres on June 

 28th, and at Stat. 14 of 2.01 and 2.00*^ C. at 100 and 125 metres on the 

 same day ; but the salinities of these minima were higher — between 

 34.73 and 34.91 (?) ^/00 — at the southern stations than at Stat. 31, where 

 they were 34.36 and 34.62^00 at 50 metres. 



At the Swedish Stat. II of Aug. 30, 1908, outside the mouth of the 

 Ice Fjord, there was also a minimum of 2.37'^ C. with a salinity of 34.65 ^ 00 

 at 50 metres, consequent!}' ver}' similar to that of Stat. 31 on Sept. 6th, 

 1910; while the minimum at Hjort's Stat. 91 (of July 27th, 1901) outside 

 the mouth of the Ice Fjord was much colder ( — 0.5" C.) and lay in 100 

 metres, but had a similar salinity (34.63 ^ 00). 



We consider it probable that these temperature-minima in the sea 

 over the continental shelf, where the horizontal movement of the water 

 is comparatively slow, are also traces of the vertical circulation during the 

 winter. In some places the comparatively cold intermediate layers may 

 also to some extent be due to intermixture with the water carried by the 

 Spitsbergen Polar Current [cf. our Memoir 1909, pp. 265 cl seq.]. 



Slight traces of intermediate temperature minima may also be seen 

 in the series of observations at Isachsen's stations near the northwest coast 

 of Spitsbergen, c. g. at Stat. 16 at 30 metres, and at Stat. 36 at 30 

 and 50 metres. 



At Stats. 38, 39, and 40 on the north coast of Spitsbergen, the con- 

 ditions are very peculiar. The vertical circulation has here produced a 

 nearly uniform distribution of temperature (about 3.0 C.) between the 

 surface and the bottom. At Stat. 38 the salinity is also fairly uniform 

 about 34.3 and 34.4 ^/ 00 (very nearly the same as that of the temperature 

 minimum in the Ice Fjord), but at Stats. 39 and 40 the value of the 

 salinity increases more rapidly from the surface towards the bottom. 



The occurrence of similar intermediate layers with temperature minima 

 along the coasts of Spitsbergen is also proved by the observations or 

 the Norwegian North Atlantic Expedition of 1878 and of the Nathorst 

 Expedition of 1898, as is seen in the following table giving the observa- 

 tions at Mohn's Stats. 356, and 357 (which are just south of Isachsen's 

 Stats. 30 and 31), 336, 338, 339, and 340 (which are near South Cape), 

 and at Bamberg's Stats. G and H. The latter station is near the Spits- 

 bergen coast south of Horn Sound, while Stat. G is far east of South 

 Cape, towards Hope Island. 



