634 



Frits Johansen. 



currents and new ice did not quickly close up the openings. When 

 the sea-ice melts in July, this takes place off the water-courses, 

 which have begun to run on land and carry down larger or smaller 

 quantities of water out over the sea-ice. The latter is then gradually 

 "eaten away" by the fresh water and channels or basins are thus 

 formed with open water near the land. In these I began work 

 already at the beginning of the month and as the open water 

 gradually spread further and further out, forming holes and channels 

 in the sea-ice, I was able to dredge along the margin of the ice for 

 long distances and out into deeper water. Or I rowed about in the 



Fig. 1. The author dredging. 



open water, towing the dredge behind; then anchoring on the edge 

 of the ice I hauled in the apparatus (see fig. 1). In the month of 

 August, lastly, the harbour and the fjord outside became free of its 

 icy cover and the boat could be taken for long distances. 



In unfavourable summers, however, the sea-ice does not break 

 up at all over large distances (inner parts of the fjords), even though 

 holes and channels may be formed in the ice; and unfortunately 

 this was the case just in the summer of 1907 when we lay there, 

 so that I had also to fight against this hindrance. The other two 

 summers were more favourable as regards ice, but in the one case 

 we were so late (end of August 1906), in the other left so early 

 (end of July 1908), that the amount of work done in this direction 



