H4 



HYDROGRAPHY. 



the East Greenland Polar Current coming from north-east. As the part of the Atlantic Current that is 

 running to the northward along the westcoast of Iceland — which current is called the Irmingcr Current — 

 at the Iceland-Greenland ridge meets the Polar-water, the rapidity of the motion of this latter is 

 so great that it is able to alter the direction of the Irmingcr Current, as well as to carry with it 

 part of the water of this current. The eastern part of the Irmingcr Current is by the rotation of the 

 earth forced to make its way along the northern coast of Iceland, while the western part of the same 

 current, which is setting with less rapidity than the Polar Current, turns to the westward. 



As the Polar Current, west of the north-western coast of Iceland makes a part of the 

 Irmingcr Current run along with it in a westerly direction, it is forced to the westward itself, 

 and off Angmagsalik it has but a very small breadth, which of course makes it run with greater 

 rapidity. This place is also one of the most accessible parts of the eastern coast of Greenland, which 

 already was pointed out by Cpt. Wandel in 1883 (see: Meddelelser om Gronland, 6. Hefte pag. 30). 



It is not till close to the east coast of Greenland that the Polar Current is able to make the 

 western branch of the Irmingcr Current adopt a southerly direction, and we may therefore be justified in 

 making the assumption that the two currents are running together along the eastcoast of Greenland, so 

 that the Atlantic-water from the Irmingcr Current is to be found below and east of 

 the ice- water. I have already pointed out before that the salt and warm water from the Irmingcr 

 Current appears east of the Polar-water. That it also is to be found below, can be seen from the 

 bottom temperatures at the stations 14 and 94, which respectively are 4°4 and 4°i, for temperatures 

 of this height have not been observed north of the Iceland and Greenland ridge in those regions from 

 which the Polar Current proceeds. This warm under-layer is thus due to the western 

 branch of the Irmingcr Current; it may be supposed that it follows part of the Polar Current 

 in its further course round the southern point of Greenland, and thus is led away from the basin 

 of the Denmark Strait. 



Southeast of the southern point of Greenland, the Polar-water and the water from the Irminger 

 Current which is found on the eastern side of the Polar-current — and on which no doubt the effects 

 of this current can be traced -- meet with the Atlantic-draught from the southward. Part of the 

 fresh cold water makes therefore a turn, and runs North again along the western 

 side of the Irminger Current, so that it participates in the rotation in the basin of 

 the Denmark Strait. 



With this theory as a basis, the nature of the water at all the places of observation in the 

 /Jen mark Strait can easily be accounted for. As the Atlantic-water which is lying below the Polar 

 Current, leaves the basin of the Denmark Strait, a new supply of water must be added to the basin, 

 and this, which easily can be seen, is made through the western part of the Irminger Current. Owing 

 to this, there is reason to believe that only a small part of the water from the Polar Current 

 remains in the basin, which current has the effect of reducing the salinity and 

 temperature of the Atlantic-water, and as the said current constantly has warm Atlantic-water 

 directly under and east of itself, it can easily be accounted for that so large masses of ice are melted 

 in these tracts of the sea. 



