9 FR1DTJOF NANSEN. M.-N. Kl. 



There was spring-tide on the following dates (local-time): 



Depth of the Sea 

 October ro, 5.31 a. m. new moon 140 metres 



2 5 4-33 P- m- full moon 100 

 November 8, 10 08 p. m. new moon 53 



24, 3.24 a. m. full moon 100 

 December 8, 4.50 p. m. new moon no bottom 



The mean difference between the transit of the moon across the 

 Greenwich meridian and the heaviest ice-pressures was: 



in October, 1893 20 hours 36 minutes 



on November 8th to loth 22 4 



25th to 27th 19 14 



- December 7th to 8th 22 9 



In October the ship was near the edge of the continental shelf, north 

 of Siberia, while on November 6th to 9th she was farther south on the 

 continental shelf, and the depth was between 53 and 58 metres. It is there- 

 fore natural that high-water should be somewhat later there than farther 

 north, where we were in October 1893. On November 25th to 27th we 

 had again drifted northwards towards the edge of the continental shelf, 

 but about two degrees farther east than in October. The ice-pressures 

 were now only heard at some distance, and their periods were less marked; 

 the observations are therefore less trustworthy. In the beginning of De- 

 cember, 1893, we were farther north and over the deep sea, and it is 

 therefore surprising that there should have been a greater difference be- 

 tween the transit of the moon (Greenwich meridian) and the heaviest ice- 

 pressures there than farther south; but the periods of the pressures were 

 not well marked at that time, and there are too few observations. 



After that time, when the ship had drifted farther towards the inner 

 regions of the deep North Polar Basin, no distinctly tidal pressures were 

 observed, and it seemed as if the pressures were more influenced by 

 the winds. 



The mean difference between the transit of the moon across the 

 Greenwich meridian and the ice-pressures obtained by all our observa- 

 tions from October to December, 1893, ls 2O hours and 38 minutes. 



If we assume that in this region as well as in the region about 83 N. 

 and 12 E. of June 1896, the ice-pressures occurred at the same phase of 

 tidal wave, the latter should thus need about 6 hours and 27 minutes to 

 travel the distance of about 980 naut. miles (1800 kilometres) between the 

 two regions. This gives a velocity of about 152 miles an hour, which 



