28 FARTHEST NORTH 



tion left than that this mass of water must find its outlet 

 by the route actually followed by the polar current. The 

 channel discovered by the Jeauncttc expedition between 

 Wrangel Land and the New Siberian Islands may here be 

 mentioned as a notable fact. It extended in a northerly 

 direction, and was at some points more than So fathoms 

 deep, while at the sides the soundings ran only to 40 or 

 50 fathoms. It is by no means impossible that this chan- 

 nel may be a continuation of the channel between Spitz- 

 bereen and Greenland,* in which case it would certainly 

 influence, if not actually determine, the direction of the 

 main current. 



" If we examine the conditions of wind and atmos- 

 pheric pressure over the Polar Sea, as far as they 

 are known, it would appear that they must tend to 

 produce a current across the Pole in the direction 

 indicated. From the Atlantic to the south of Spitz- 

 bergen and F"ranz Josef Land a belt of low atmospheric 

 pressure (minimum belt) extends into the Siberian Arctic 

 Sea. In accordance with well-known laws, the wind 

 must have a preponderating direction from west to east 

 on the south side of this belt, and this would promote an 

 eastward-flowino- current alons^ the north coast of Siberia, 

 such as has been found to exist there.! The winds on 



* The discovery during our expedition of a great depth in the polar 

 basin renders it highly probable that this assumption is correct. 



t The experience of our expedition, however, does not point to any 

 such eastward-flowing current along the Siberian coast. 



