NO. 4 TEMPERATURE VARIATIONS IN THE NORTH ATLANTIC I3 



Hjort, 1912, p. 298). This section extends in a northwesterly 

 direction from station 65 at 37° 12' north latitude and 48° 30' west 

 longitude, to station dj at 40° 17' north latitude and 50° 39' west 

 longitude. According to this section, it has the appearance as if 

 the water westward of the " wedge ", between the stations 66 and 

 6y, moves approximately at right angles to this section, and then 

 takes a more southwesterly direction as indicated by our surface 

 charts. One may suppose that the water-masses in the deeper layers 

 experience a deflection toward the right in consequence of the rota- 

 tion of the earth and on that account move in a more southwesterly 

 direction than at the surface. 



The oblique course of the isotherms and lines of equal salt con- 

 tents in the section and consequently also the lines of equal gravity 

 show clearly and distinctly that the water masses on the west side 

 of the " wedge " between stations 66 and 67 move with a great 

 velocity in a southerly or southwesterly direction, and, further, 

 that the velocities diminish from the surface toward the bottom. 

 Between station ^, which lies in the middle of the " wedge," 

 and station 65, the motion goes in an easterly or northeasterly direc- 

 tion, with diminishing velocity from above downwards. North of 

 station dj, between this station and the Newfoundland Bank, the 

 motion goes in an easterly direction with decreasing velocity down- 

 wards. The velocities were in all these cases very great, but the 

 greatest lay between the stations 66 and 67, We explain these rela- 

 tions by the consideration that the water masses of the Gulf Stream, 

 which flow with great velocity along the east side of America at 

 the outer edge of the Continental shelf, experience a considerable 

 resistance southwest of the Newfoundland Bank partly on account 

 of the cold water-masses which are brought by the Labrador cur- 

 rent from the north and partly because the Continental shelf south 

 of Newfoundland has a strong trend towards the southeast. In the 

 under water inlet thereby formed on the edge of the continental 

 shelf, there are produced many eddies of cold and warm water- 

 masses whereby the water of the Gulf Stream is compelled to bend 

 towards the southeast. Exactly south of the most southerly cor- 

 ner of the Newfoundland Bank the current, in consequence of the 

 contour of the ground and of the cold water-masses coming down 

 from the north, meets great resistance. The w^arm current bends 

 yet more toward the south and is thereby strongly narrowed and' 

 its velocity increased. While the warm water on the right side of 

 this southerly moving current is depressed, the cold water lying: 



