than one stream in the EDISTO survey region, and it is possible that 

 there was an inshore portion which was not included in the dynamic 

 topography charts? 



b. The barotropic components of the currents have not been estimated, 

 and 



c. Figure 35 employs such a shallow reference level. 



Factors which indicate that the dynamic topography charts may 

 have included the western boundary of the East Greenland Current 

 throughout a good portion of the EDISTO survey region include: 



a. Except for the 100 meter level (Fig. 18), the maximum salinity 

 gradients indicated by the horizontal charts for the upper 500 meters 

 (Figs. 13, 15, 18, 20, and 22) were located in approximately the 



same region as the portion of the East Greenland Current displayed 

 by Figures 26 through 35. 



b. The existence of anticyclonic gyres to the west of the indicated 

 portion of the East Greenland Current appears to be corroborated 



by the salinity distributions shown in Figures 18 and 20. 



c. If the anticyclonic gyres in question do exist, any important 

 stream of the East Greenland Current not included in the dynamic 

 topography charts would have to exist as a separate stream running 

 fairly close to shore. Yet, the inshore currents in summer are 

 said to be weak (Lationov, et al., 1960). 



The dynamic topography charts give the impression that the West 

 Spitsbergen Current was not well developed during the time of the 

 EDISTO survey. However, it is likely that these charts do not include 

 a significant nearshore portion of this current. In addition, (see 

 Section IV) , it is difficult to envision a completely motionless 

 reference level in the northern Greenland Sea. Since the suspected 

 motion of the bottom waters under the West Spitsbergen Current is 

 towards the north, a slow northward movement in the 700-and 1000- 

 decibar reference levels may have caused the speeds of the West Spitsbergen 

 Current as depicted by Figures 26 through 35 to be slightly lower 

 than they really were. 



The meanders and gyres between the East Greenland Current and 

 the West Spitsbergen Current indicated by the dynamic topography 

 charts also appear to be somewhat different than those shown on 

 the charts of previous investigators (Fig. 4). To some extent this 



The original oceanographic log sheets for stations 28 and 29, which were close to Greenland, 

 contain notes stating that strong currents were observed. However, the directions of these currents 

 are not noted, and no estimate was made of their variability. 



In this region, density gradients are effected much more by salinity changes than by temperature 

 changes . 



34 



