5- No. 2. SPITSBERGEN WATERS. 9! 



would indicate an average depth of the sea of about 624 metres. The 

 soundings taken during the drift of the Fram across this sea, give, however. 

 a depth of between 3000 and 3850 metres. With an average depth of 

 the sea of 3400 metres the tidal wave ought to travel the above distance 

 in 2 hours and 46 minutes (with a velocity of 355 miles an hour), it is 

 3 hours and 41 minutes less than found above. 



According to the cotidal lines on Mr. R. A. Harris's chart [1911] the 

 tidal wave should need about 3^2 hours across the above mentioned region. 



But the velocity of the wave does not only depend on the depth of 

 the sea, it also depends on the shape of the deep basin. We do not know 

 the width of the deep North Polar Basin nor the configuration of its 

 sides. 



In i9i3Capt.Vilkitskij made the important discovery of land (Nicholaus II's 

 Land), extending towards the north-west from the region north of Cape 

 Chelyuskin. For several oceanographic reasons I thought it probable that 

 the broad Siberian Continental Shelf had an extension towards the north 

 in that region, as indicated on my bathymetrical chart of the North Polar 

 Basin [1904, PL I]. Capt. Vilkitskij followed the coast of the new islands 

 as far north as beyond 80 4' N. Lat, and 97 12' E. Long., and in 81 N, 

 96 E the sea was still shallow, between 16 and 100 fathoms. There may 

 probably be more unknown land; during the Fram-expedition we saw a 

 number of new islands far west of us in the sea west of the Cape Chelyuskin 

 Peninsula. The continental shelf may thus have a wide extension, also to- 

 wards the north, in this region. This would naturally retard somewhat 

 the progress of the tidal wave. 



The width of the deep polar basin is perfectly unknown, as we know 

 nothing of its side-slope on the Greenland American side. But it is hardly 

 probable that it can be so narrow as to account for the above retardation 

 of the tidal wave, even considering that the latter may be much hindered 

 by the broken boundaries of the basin. 



According to the observations of the Jeanette Expedition, during July 

 3oth to August 6th, 1881, high-water on Bennett Island (74 41' N, 149 5' E) 

 should occur on the average 6 h 37 after the transit of the moon across 

 the Greenwich meridian [se HARRIS, 1911, p. 79]. The distance between 

 the region of the Fram in October to November 1893 and Bennett 

 Island is about 170 naut. miles. If the mean depth of the sea be 40 

 metres, the tidal wave would travel this distance in 4 h i2 m . This added 

 to 2oh 38'" gives 24*1 501", or if we take the next transit of the moon it 

 would correspond to a tidal hour of i2 h 251", /. e. 5^ 48"* more than given 

 by the observations on Bennett Island. 



