THE SPRING AND SUMMER OF 1894 443 



the striking warmth of the water deep down, it seems 

 to me that things are really looking brighter. The rea- 

 soning runs as follows : The temperature of the water 

 in the East Greenland current, even on the surface, is 

 nowhere over zero (the mean temperature for the year), 

 and appears generally to be — i'' C. (30.2^ Fahr.), even 

 in 70° north latitude. In this latitude the temperature 

 steadily falls as you get below the surface ; nowhere 

 at a greater depth than 100 fathoms is it above — i" C, 

 and generally from —1.5'' (29.3'' Fahr.) to —1.7" C. 

 (28.94° Fahr.) right to the bottom. Moreover, the bot- 

 tom temperature of the whole sea north of the 60th 

 degree of latitude is under —1° C, a strip along the 

 Norwegian coast and between Norway and Spitzbergen 

 alone excepted, but here the temperature is over — 1° 

 C, from 86 fathoms (160 metres) downward, and 135 

 fathoms (250 metres) the temperature is already +0.55^ 

 C. (32.99° Fahr.), and that, too, be it remarked, north of 

 the Soth degree of latitude, and in a sea surrounding 

 the pole of maximum cold. 



This warm water can hardly come from the Arctic Sea 

 itself, while the current issuing thence towards the south 

 has a general temperature of about —1.5' C. It can 

 hardly be anything other than the Gulf Stream that finds 

 its way hither, and replaces the water which in its upper 

 layers flows towards the north, forming the sources of 

 the East Greenland polar current. All this seems to 

 chime in with my previous assumptions, and supports the 



