- No. 2. SPITSBERGEN WATERS. IOI 



On the whole the quantity of oxygen seems to be considerably 

 greater, or at least somewhat greater, in water with salinities less than 

 34.3 %<) than in water with salinities higher than 34.3 / 00 . 



At 50 metres there was as a rule considerably less oxygen (between 

 6 99 and 7 49 cc. per liter) than at 20 metres, and the percentage of 

 saturation was comparatively low, between 89.6 and 92.7 / . The amount 

 of oxygen at 50 metres was on the whole less at the more northern 

 stations, both in the fjord (Cross Bay, Stat. 13) and in the sea to the 

 north (Stats. 37, 41 c and 43), than farther south in Ice Fjord, Bell Sound 

 etc. (Stats. 45, 50, 53, 56). The lowest amount of oxygen at 50 metres 

 (6.99 cc. and 90 / ) was observed at our northernmost station, Stat. 37, 

 north of Spitsbergen. The temperature was there comparatively high 

 (1.50 C.). At the Stations 41 c and 43, north of western Spitsbergen, 

 the lowest amount of oxygen at 50 metres was found in the water with 

 the lowest temperature and salinity, at Stat. 43. 



At Stat. 45, in Ice Fjord, the quantity of oxygen at 50 metres 

 (8.13 cc.) was considerably higher than at the same depth at the stations 

 farther north. But the water observed at 50 metres at Stat. 45, with a 

 low salinity of 33.68 / o and a comparatively high temperature of 0.85 C., 

 evidently originated from some higher water-layer that had been depressed 

 to this lower level at Stat. 45 (see Fig. 26, p. 25). If compared with 

 Stat. 10 of July 2 1st, in the mouth of Ice Fjord, it is noticed that the 

 water at 75 metres, at the latter station, is of the same type, as to tempe- 

 rature and salinity, as the water at 100 metres at Stat. 45, and contains 

 also very nearly the same quantity of oxygen, while the water at 50 metres 

 at Stat. 45 has even a lower salinity than the water at 20 metres at 

 Stat. 10. 



It has also to be considered that the observations at Stat 45 were 

 taken much later in the season (Aug. 26th), when more oxygen may have 

 been produced by the action of phyto-plankton in the deeper layers, whose 

 salinity may also have been somewhat reduced by admixture of fresh- 

 water. But this increase of oxygen in the end of August is uncertain, 

 as the light penetrating to the deeper layers has already been much 

 reduced at this time, owing to the lower situation of the sun. 



On the other hand it is noteworthy that the cold-water at 50 metres 

 in Cross Bay, at Stat. 13. had a considerably smaller amount of oxygen 

 (7.42 cc. and 91 / ). This cold water, with a temperature of 0.25 C., 

 is probably winter-water, originated by the vertical circulation during the 

 cooling, when there was very little phyto-plankton, and into which the 

 sun could not penetrate, even in the spring, as the sea was covered by 



