In the following pages we shall include the coastal banks of Iceland and the Faeroes 

 in the Norwegian Sea, though different opinions may be held on this point. The deep 

 basin of the Norwegian Sea has a depth of between 2000 and 3700 M. and shows a 

 steep slope, "the Norwegian Sea margin", both towards the Norwegian coast and towards 

 the Shetland-Iceland Ridge. 



The "coastal banks" of the Norwegian Sea, understanding therewith as above the 

 banks under 100 M., are very small. It is only the coastaj banks at Iceland, the Faeroes 

 and the Romsdal and Lofoten banks on the Norwegian side, which have a somewhat 

 greater extension towards the sea. Along the length of the coast however the total area 

 under 100 M. is not small. The areas lying between loO, 200, 300 and 400 M. depth 

 are in parts very considerable; in these depths we have on the Norwegian coast very 

 large plateaus, which correspond in depth to the "Irish plateau". 



With regard to the North Sea, we could only bring the curves for 100 and 200 M. 

 on the small depth-chart. For our purposes it would have been of very great interest 

 to have been able to give still more curves, namely those for 20, 40, 60, 80, and 150 M. 

 As however these curves are so well known, we consider this unnecessary here ; it seems 

 also just as unnecessary to describe the known banks and deep channels in the North 

 Sea and in the Skager Rak. 



For the sake of clearness we may just mention, that we also distinguish in the North 

 Sea between the regions beyond and within the 100 M. curve. The deeper northern 

 portion of the North Sea, where the depths are greater than 100 M., has in many respects 

 a great similarity to the slopes towards the deep-sea margin, which begin at the 200 M. 

 curve in the most northerly part of the North Sea, where the depths suddenly descend 

 to 1000 M. To this region the Norwegian and Swedish fishermen have given a special 

 name, "Tampen", which we may retain here for practical reasons. We may also mention, 

 that the siope of the North Sea bank towards the deep "Norwegian Channel", which 

 runs from the Tampen parallel with the Norwegian coast into the deep basin of the 

 Skager Rak, is called "Revet" by the Scandinavian fishermen, which name is also known 

 to fishermen of other nations and often facilitates the determination of the locality. 



Hydrographical Summary ' 



As aquaintance with the hydrographical conditions is essential to understanding this 

 report, we may give here a brief account of these, although knowledge of the oceanic 



I This summary has been prepared for the Committee by Mr. Helland-Hansen. In this he has made use 

 of the following literature: 

 T he Bulletins, 



The various reports and papers in the Rapports et Procès-Verbaux, 

 The hydrographical papers in the Publications de circonstance, which deal with the North Sea and the 



Norwegian Sea, 

 Report on Fishery and Hydrographical Investigations in the North Sea and Adjacent 



Waters, published by the Fishery Board of Scotland under the superintendence of Prof. D'Arcy Thompson. 

 Meddelelser fra Kommissionen for Havu ndersogelser. Serie: Hydrografi. Kjobenhavn. 

 B. Helland-Hansen and F. Nansen, The Norwegian Sea. (Rep. Norw. Mar. and Fish. Invest., Vol. II. 



No. 2.) 

 B. Helland-Hansen, Current Measurements in Norwegian Fjords, the Norwegian Sea and the North Sea in 



1906. (Bergens Museums Aarbog 1907, No. 15). 



