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water : it consists of a mixture of water which arises from the rainfall not only of Norway 

 or Scandinavia but also ot the whole North Europe as far as the Alps , and of Atlantic 

 water with which the water of the rainfall on the Norwegian west coast is mixed, or 

 which has crossed the North Sea over a greater or smaller area. As the salinities always 

 amount to over 30 "/„^ when we get beyond the strand region, and as the Atlantic 

 water is only a little over 35 °l^^, it is evident that the Atlantic water constitutes a much 

 greater part of the mixture than the rainfall water. This coastal water passes along the 

 entire Norwegian coast, from the Skager Rak towards the west and in the north as far 

 as to the Barentz Sea; we have besides the lateral movement already mentioned earlier 

 consisting of a component towards the sea in the summer half-year, and one towards 

 the land in the winter (fig. 7). 



During some current measurements on the Cod Bank off the Romsdal coast near 

 Aalesund in July IQ06 the movement in a northerly direction was inconsiderable in com- 

 parison with the westerly movement (see fig. 7, Station 299). 



At this Station at a depth of 2 M. there was a movement from the land directly 

 westwards with an average velocity of about 6 cm. in the second (3 miles in 24 hours). 

 From 30 M. down to the bottom the movement was in an opposite direction. The 

 average velocity was a little greater than that at the surface and the direction of move- 

 ment towards east-north-east. This deeper layer thus flows from the sea over the banks 

 towards the land (see fig. 8). 



Some days later a series of observations was made in the Gulf Stream at the deep- 

 sea margin, where the bottom was 250 M. deep. If jwe draw a line at right angles to 

 the direction of the coast (or the deep-sea margin), it appears that of the 96 observations 

 only a single one indicates a movement from the region lying north of this line towards 

 the region south of this line. All the remaining observations indicate the presence of a 

 current along the coast in a northerly direction with a very varying velocity (see fig. 7, 

 Station 307). In the upper layers the average velocity amounted to about 25 cm. in the 

 second (12 miles in 24 hours). Even at the bottom — 250 M. deep — rather a great 

 velocity could occur; once we even measured 22 cm. in the second, a velocity so great 

 that the bottom must have been washed clean of all sedimentary particles. At this place 

 also the bottom was hard and stony. 



2. The North Sea 



In its topography the North Sea falls naturally into 3 parts: the most southern part 

 with depths down to 40 M. , to which the Dogger Bank belongs though somewhat 

 separated from the remaining areas; a central part with depths of 40—80 M., which 

 amongst others includes the Great Fisher Bank and the Ling Bank, and the most northern 

 part with its deeper plateau, mostly 120 — 140 M. in depth. 



Fig. 9 shows 3 sections, drawn from Heligoland towards the north-west as far as the 

 Shetland Isles. Prom the figure can be seen the distribution of the salinity and tempera- 

 ture along this section in February and in August 1906, and below the average salinity 

 along the section (from 1902 — 1905). 



The most southern part of the North Sea with the Dogger Bank shows great changes 



