OCEAN CURRENTS 187 



waters hâve their maximum salinity at the end of May and 

 beginning of June. 



The Gulf of Bothnia is to a certain extent separated from 

 the rest of the Baltic by the Aland Islands, so that the Gulf 

 has an independent circulation. East of the Aland Islands 

 the current runs to the north and on the Swedish side to the 

 south out into the Baltic, but the currents are not continuous. 

 With strong winds thèse currents may be reversed. The 

 bottom currents running into the Gulf are also intermittent. 

 The northerly surface current on the Finland side sends off a 

 number of branches to the Swedish side, but the bottom 

 currents run straight up the Gulf. 



The Arctic Currents. 



The Arctic " Océan " is really an enclosed sea. Its 

 currents hâve been investigated in some détail in récent years ; 

 more especially its connection with the North Atlantic has 

 been the object of research on the part of the International 

 Council for the Investigation of the Sea. 



The north-eastern branch of the Florida Current ("Gulf 

 Stream ") flows across between the Faroes and Shetlands to 

 the Norwegian coast. Then it runs up along this coast past 

 the North Cape, whence it spreads out fan-wise. The southern- 

 most branch, the "North Cape Current," runs along the 

 coast into the Murman Sea ; another branch flows to Spits- 

 bergen, where it has been traced to 80° N. Lat. and 10° E. 

 Long. 



There is a barometric minimum over the sea in thèse 

 latitudes, owing to the warm Atlantic water and air, and a 

 maximum over the colder land. This produces a cyclonal 

 movement of the atmosphère, which, owing to the configura- 

 tion of land and water, tends to force the Atlantic water as far 

 as Nova Zembla. Between Spitsbergen and Franz Joseph 

 Land there is, however, shallow and ice-covered water. Hère 

 on the east side of Spitsbergen there is a westerly drif t ; on 

 the west side of Spitsbergen, on the contrary, a north-easterly 



