INTR OD UCTION 2 7 



the amount of water in the Polar Sea. Moreover, the 

 fact that the polar basin receives large supplies of fresh 

 water is proved by the small amount of salt in the water 

 of the polar current. 



" From all these considerations it appears unquestion- 

 able that the sea around the Pole is fed with considera- 

 ble quantities of water, partly fresh, as we have just seen, 

 partly salt, as we indicated further back, proceeding from 

 the different ocean currents. It thus becomes inevitable, 

 according to the law of equilibrium, that these masses 

 of water should seek such an outlet as we find in the 

 Greenland polar current. 



" Let us now inquire whether further reasons can be 

 found to show why this current flows exactly in the given 

 direction. 



" If we examine the ocean soundin2;s, we at once 

 find a conclusive reason why the main outlet must lie 

 between Spitzbergen and Greenland. The sea here, so 

 far as we know it, is at all points very deep; there is, 

 indeed, a channel of as much as 2500 fathoms depth; 

 while south of Spitzbergen and Franz Josef Land it is 

 remarkably shallow — not more than 160 fathoms. As 

 has been stated, a current passes northward through 

 Bering Strait and Smith Sound, and the sounds between 

 the islands north of America, thouo^h here, indeed, there 

 is a southward current, are far too small and narrow to 

 form adequate outlets for the mass of water of which 

 we are speaking. There is, therefore, no other assump- 



