Total Phosphorus (figs. 36 through 39). 



An especially large difference is found between 

 inorganic phosphate and total phosphorus dis- 

 tributions in the northern Kane Basin. The total 

 phosphorus concentration rises rapidly from a sur- 

 face value of 0.60 /xgA/1 at 50 meters on the eastern 

 side of the basin and at a depth near 200 meters on 

 the -western side (fig. 36a). The slope of the sub- 

 surface contours is thus the reverse of that seen 

 for inorganic phosphate. Total phosphorus val- 

 ues near 1.00 /tgA/1 are found below 150 meters on 

 the Greenland slope. In the middle of the Kane 

 Basin (fig. 36b), a band of high values occurs at 

 a depth of about 100 meters: a high concentration 

 of 1.50 /tgA/1 total phosphorus is seen on the east- 

 ern side at stations 8756 and 8757 and values in the 

 western region reach nearly as great a concen- 

 tration. A'alues less than 1.00 /tgA/1 fill in the 

 deep water of the basin below 150 meters — this is 

 the only section which shows such low total phos- 

 phorus levels in the deep water N although some 

 increase to high values immediately above the bot- 

 tom in the center of the basin may be seen. The 

 southern Kane Basin (fig. 36c) shows a high con- 

 centration of total phosphorus throughout the en- 

 tire water column. Surface values are nearly 1.00 

 /tgA/1. The maximum value is not quite as great 

 as seen further north : a value of 1.40 /tgA/1 has a 

 limited occurrence on the Greenland slope and a 

 concentration of 1.30 /tgA/1 extends a little further 

 from the coast near 100 meters. Values in deep 

 water drop to 1.10 /tgA/1 or less near the bottom. 



In the region of Smith Sound the total phos- 

 phorus concentration decreases. Insufficient data 

 are available to give the distribution from Gale 

 Point to Cape Alexander. From Orne Island to 

 Murchison Sound, however, the surface concentra- 

 tion of total phosphorus is 0.80 /tgA/1 in the east 

 and 0.70 /tgA/1 in the west (fig. 37a). At 100 

 meters a value of 1.30 /tgA/1 is found across this 

 section ; a small area of 1.40 /tgA/1 occurs at station 

 8777 representing Murchison Sound. Concentra- 

 tions near 1.00 /tgA/1 intrude in the deep water in 

 the western part of the section below 300 meters. 

 In the next section (fig. 37b) the maximum values 

 are depressed to a depth near 200 meters. Concen- 

 trations rise to 1.30 /tgA/1 from 250 to 300 meters 

 in t he center of the basin. Values less than 1.00 

 /tgA/1 occur in the deep water on the western side 

 of the basin but show a more restricted distribu- 

 tion than further north. 



The section at the northern end of Baffin Bay 

 shows an increase in the total phosphorus levels 

 once more (fig. 38). A concentration of 1.40 

 /tgA/1 occurs at 100 meters on the eastern edge and 

 values as high as 1.60 /tgA/1 are seen at 300 meters 

 in the same area. In the western region the high- 

 est value is 1.30 /tgA/1 from 200 to 350 meters. 

 A low concentration of less than 1.00 /tgA/1 occurs 

 in the depths of the basin in the west while the 

 eastern deep water has a high value of 1.50 /tgA/1. 



In the longitudinal section (fig. 39) a high con- 

 centration appears at station 8764, the shallowest 

 depth in the Kane Basin, and then a general re- 

 striction of the maximum is seen along with a de- 

 cline of the values at mid-depths throughout the 

 area of Smith Sound. At station 8787 the total 

 phosphorus maximum reaches 1.50 /tgA/1 again 

 at 200 to 400 meters. This value is also seen in 

 the deep water of Baffin Bay from 800 to 1,500 

 meters. Surface water of the Baffin Bay stations 

 appears to be somewhat lower in total phosphorus 

 than the area of Smith Sound. The confused pat- 

 tern of distribution in the deep water of Baffin Bay 

 is noteworthy, but no apparent cause is suggested 

 by the present examination. 



The difference of the total phosphorus and the 

 inorganic phosphate determinations represents the 

 total organic phosphorus. The highest levels of 

 organic phosphorus occur in the Kane Basin, as 

 seen from a comparison of figures 32 and 36. A 

 significant amount of organic phosphorus is pres- 

 ent throughout the entire area, as will be shown 

 by a statistical analysis for the mean frequency 

 distribution which is presented later. 



Nitrate-Nitrogen (figs. 40 through 43). 



The highest nitrate concentrations in the region 

 of the Kane Basin are found near the bottom. The 

 most northern section (fig. 40a) shows a small area 

 of nitrate as high as 13 /tgA/1 at a depth of 200 me- 

 ters on the eastern side of the basin, while the sur- 

 face concentrations are low and low values also oc- 

 cur to a depth of 150 meters on the western edge 

 and near the bottom in the center of the basin. The 

 section in the center of the Kane basin (fig. 40b) 

 has the same low nitrate values for the surface with 

 a small maximum appearing at 100 meters at sta- 

 tions 8758 and 8757 on the eastern side. A value 

 of 11 /tgA/1 is observed here and also in the deepest 

 part of this same region. A pronounced maxi- 

 mum occupies the deep water in the center of the 

 southern Kane Basin (fig. 40c), with the highest 



39 



