APPENDIX B; HELLAND-HANSEN — 6 — 



It is well-known, that a. portion of the Atlantic ocean-water always streams between 

 the Faroes and Iceland into the south-western part of the Norwegian Sea and there 

 mixes with other water of less salinity, mostly from the East Icelandic Polar Stream. 

 This mixed water runs mainly in an easterly direction; from it, a larger or smaller 

 portion bends southwards into the Fseroe-Shetland Channel after passing round the north 

 of the Féeroes. The impression was gained, that the masses of water were always tending 

 from the north-east of the Fseroes towards the south or south-east, in the months of 1902 

 and 1903 investigated. In August 1902, the salinity of this water was relatively high, as 

 a strong inflow of Atlantic ocean-water had taken place to the west side of the Fseroes ; the 

 southerly movement then extended past the Faeroes into the western half of the Channel. 

 In May 1903, this layer came no further than into the most northerly part of the Channel 

 on the surface; in August 1903, it penetrated some distance in a southerly direction, first 

 as a surface current and then probably as a deeper current under the Atlantic Stream in 

 the more southern part of the Channel. When the mixed water has penetrated to the 

 south and meets the Atlantic Stream, it is bent from its course and follows the latter 

 in a north-easterly or northerly direction ; thus, in August 1902, the surface layer had a 

 cyclonic movement about the centime of the Channel, where the forward movement at 

 that time was very slight. A thin layer of lower temperature and relatively lower 

 salinity was found on the surface of this central portion of the Channel; this was a 

 prolongation of the East Icelandic Polar Stream, which had pushed its way through a 

 narrow opening to the north-east of the Fasroes; probably it has remained at the same 

 spot for a long time without being carried away. The water-masses moving in a south- 

 erly direction on the east side of the Fasroes, have a much smaller rapidity of flow than 

 the Atlantic Stream; according to calculations, it amounts to but a few centimeters 

 per second. 



With a single exceptional case, it has been found that the deepest parts of the Channel 

 are always covered by ice-cold water (with temperature below 0° C.) of constant salinity 

 (34-92 °/oo). This is exactly the same water which is found everywhere in the deepest 

 layers of the Norwegian Sea ; it is thus an offishoot of the bottom-water of the Norwegian 

 Sea towards the south. In a section of the Channel, this water-layer is found to have 

 the form of a wedge-shaped mass as a rule, with its apex sometimes at the side, some- 

 times in the centre of the Channel. It has been considered hitherto, that this bottom- 

 water had been drawn into the Channel as a "reaction-stream" due to the Atlantic Stream 

 on the surface. In agreement with F. L. Ekman's investigations on such reaction- 

 streams in the mouths of rivers, it has been found that the bottom-water of the Fœroe- 

 Shetland Channel rose higher towards the surface in the southern than in the northern 

 part. This appears to have been the case also in December 1902, though to a small 

 extent, and again in May 1903, but not in the two August months. It is probable that 

 the bottom-water often moves hke an "active" stream; calculations with regard to the 

 deepest layers, have given a rapidity of flow of several centimeters in the second. It 

 has also appeared, that temperature variations may be relatively large (several tenths of 

 a degree) within a short time, in depths as great as 1000 m. Thus in August 1903, the 

 bottom-water generally present had quite disappeared from the southern part of the 

 Channel (see Fig. 4); at 1000 m., the sahnity was then 35-03 7oo and the temperature 



