42 



3. Skager Rak and the eastern Norwegian Fjords 



In the Skager Rak the Baltic Stream, which carries with it the water of the Baltic 

 and North Sea with great velocity, is of special importance. Current measurements gave 

 a velocity of up to more than i M. per second (see fig. lo). 



Off the Norwegian coast (Risör) the average velocity in the surface layer at the end 

 of July 1906 amounted to 70—80 cm. per second (30-40 miles in 24 hours). 



Even at the depth of 100 M. a fairly strong current towards the west-south-west was 

 still noticeable (velocity about 8 cm. per second). At the bottom, at about 170 M., small 

 but quite distinct tidal currents could be noticed. 



On the Danish side of the Skager Rak the water streams in from the North Sea, 

 partly as a continuation of the already mentioned cyclonic movement, which carries the 

 water from the east coast of Scotland across the northern part of the Dogger towards 

 Hanstholm; partly as a prolongation of the stream along the coasts of Holland and 

 Germany. The conjoined Jutland Stream enters the Skager Rak with a velocity, which 

 at the beginning of August 1906 averaged 45 cm. per second (22 miles in 24 hours) at 

 the surface, decreasing towards the bottom where only the tidal currents were felt, in 

 parts with considerable force. 



Fig. 1 1 shows three sections of the Skager Rak , which correspond to the earlier 

 sections for the North Sea. 



On the section representing the average salinity we see how the deep parts of the 

 Skager Rak from 100— 150 M. under the surface are filled with Atlantic water with a 

 salinity of over 35°/oo and a temperature of 572— 9V2°- 



In this deep water of the Skager Rak there is but little variation. 



It it also evident from the same section that the Atlantic water is nearer to the sur- 

 face in the centre of the Skager Rak than at the sides, and that it is throughout some- 

 what higher on the Danish than on the Norwegian side of the Skager Rak. 



Along the Norwegian side of the Skager Rak in the neighbourhood of Risör or 

 Arendal we only exceptionally meet with Atlantic water with a salinity of 35 "/^^ at a 

 depth of 60—70 M. This lies in general in about 200 M. depth, often still deeper, 

 and this entire part of the coast is filled with Baltic water and "bank water" with relat- 

 ively low salinities. The average salinity in 20 M. near to the coast amounts to only 

 32 °/^^. What has been said above regarding the west coast fjords applies also to the 

 fjords opening into the Skager Rak, yet with the difference that the salinities in the 

 deeper fjords are everywhere less in Eastern Norway, as they are here more shut off 

 from the influence of the Atlantic water than on the west coast. 



Current measurements in these fjords showed that here also the surface water flows 

 in general from the inner fjord out towards the sea. 



