170 



WATER MASSES AND CURRENTS OF THE OCEANS 



The other branch flows approximately in lat. 45°N and carries undiluted 

 Gulf Stream water. Of these branches the northern continues mainly 

 toward the east-northeast and divides up. Part of the water flows 

 across the Wyville Thomson Ridge into the Norwegian Sea, and part 

 turns toward the north and northwest as the Irminger Current, which 

 flows along the southern coast of Iceland. A small portion of the water 

 of the Irminger Current bends around the west coast of Iceland (fig. 

 44, p. 175), but the greater amount turns south and becomes more or less 

 mixed with the waters of the East Greenland Current. The detailed 

 work of the Meteor in the area between Iceland and southeastern Green- 

 land indicates that many eddies within which this mixing takes place 

 remain in approximately the same locality from one year to another, 

 and the position of the eddies may therefore be related to the configura- 

 tion of the coast. The last traces of the Gulf Stream water continues 

 around Cape Farewell, where, at some distance from the coast, water of 

 salinity above 35.00°/oo is encountered. 



Table 19 

 HYDROGRAPHIC CONDITIONS IN THE IRMINGER SEA IN EARY SPRING 



In the central part of the Irminger Sea, off southern Greenland, 

 mixing between the North Atlantic Water and the Labrador Sea Water 

 leads to the formation of Subarctic Water of uniform salinity close to 

 34.95°/oo and a temperature which, from a depth of a few hundred meters 

 and downward, is nearly 3°C. When the surface layers are cooled in 

 winter to temperatures below 3'^, vertical convection currents develop, 

 reaching from the surface to the bottom and leading to renewal of the 

 deep water. Table 19 contains data from two Meteor stations which were 

 occupied in early spring and at which nearly uniform water was present. 

 In the table the oxygen content of the water is stated and is expressed 



