1 



Depths and Hydrography of the Oeeanie Regions investigated 



Depths 



1 he regions investigated internationally extend, as is known, from the Baltic to the 

 Atlantic Ocean and the Norwegian Sea; since however the fisheries conditions in the 

 Baltic form the work of a special Committee, all the regions within the Skaw will not be 

 considered here. Our field of investigation embraces the two large deep-sea regions, the 

 Atlantic Ocean and the Norwegian Sea to the extent shown in fig. i, as also the North 

 Sea with the Skager Rak. 



The Chart of depths (fig. l) is only intended to represent quite the most important 

 conditions, which are of value for the general part of this report; on this point some ex- 

 planation may be given. 



Of the Atlantic Ocean our region, as will be seen, embraces only the north-eastern 

 corner. Here towards the west coast of Europe a steep slope bounds the over 2000 M. 

 deep, deep-sea level. We obtain a clear picture of the steep character of this slope by 

 noticing how close to one another the three depth-curves for 2000, 1000 and 200 M. lie, 

 e. g. to the west of the coast of Brittany. In the following pages we call this slope the 

 "Atlantic deep-sea margin". In the Bay of Biscay it runs parallel to the west coast of 

 France and from the Channel bends strongly towards the west so that it is far removed 

 from the land to the west of Ireland. Here the depths between 200 and 1000 M. form a 

 large area, "the Irish deep-sea Bank". To the north of this the deep-sea margin proceeds 

 towards the Wyville-Thompson Ridge between the north coast of Scotland and the Faeroes, 

 from which the looo M. curve continues westward towards the south coast of Iceland, 

 bounding here the ca. 400 M. deep, Iceland-Faeroe Ridge. 



To a certain extent the 100 M. curve bounds the true coastal banks, and the region 

 between 100 and 200 M. forms again a "slope" from the coastal bank towards the great 

 deep-sea margin. 



The coastal banks (under 100 M. deep) are everywhere, as can be seen, very nar- 

 row in the Atlantic Ocean; the slope towards the deep-sea margin is somewhat broader. 



The Norwegian Sea is separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the long ridge which 

 extends from Scotland to Iceland. This ridge is mostly 400 to 600 M. deep, so that the 

 greater depths in the two deep-sea basins are quite cut off from one another. 



