INTERNATIONAL ICE OBSERVATION AND ICE PATROL SERVICE. 89 



closed on the profile by a dotted isotherm and without doubt repre- 

 sents the core of the Labrador Current. Berg track charts "E" 

 and "F" give evidence of a current during this period which drifted 

 bergs down the east side of the Grand Banks, and we found Labrador 

 Current in considerable volume around the Tail of the Bank. (See 

 Profile No. 9.) The failure to locate polar water at station 200 indi- 

 cates there is a constriction in the current at this place, due to a 

 tendency of the Gulf Stream to intrude westward toward the slope 

 in the form of swirling bands and mixing eddies. (See surface tem- 

 peratme chart ''L.") 



PROFILE NO. 9. STATIONS 201 TO 206. 



This section runs from station ''C" (see chart "A") south into deep 

 water. It was occupied May 5-7. 



Salinity. — The offshore end of the section, stations 205 and 206, is 

 flooded by a column of water > 35.00 %o, except at the surface of sta- 

 tion 205, which is decidedly fresher. The area inclosed by the 33.50 7oo 

 isohaline extends from the slope of the bank in a gradually thinning 

 surface layer southward to station 205. Below 150 meters the inter- 

 mediate stations are occupied by water > 34.00 %o. As usual the 

 water in on the bank is the freshest of the profile. 



Temperature.— This is the first profile which shows pure tropical 

 water, as warm as 18° C. and Salter than 36.00 "/oo, at the outer end. 

 The striking feature, however, is the close agreement in shape between 

 the area inclosed b}^ the 1° C. isotherm and the isohalines of 33.0 "/qq- 

 34.0 "/oo- This is pure Labrador Current. Another notable point is 

 the steepness of the isothermic gradient between stations 204 and 205. 

 Warm tropical water >36.0 Voo salinity and > 18° C. meets cold polar 

 water of 33.0 "/qq salinity and 1° C, a range in salinity >3.0 °/oo and a 

 range in temperature of 17° C. At no other place in the sea do two 

 such diametrically contrasted bodies of oceanic water abut on 

 each other. 



A comparison with Profile No. 6 taken on this same section about a 

 month earlier shows that the Labrador Current has decreased some- 

 what in volume, but that it extends farther south, i. e., to 41° 25' N., 

 with a maximum dept h of 82 fathoms on the slope of the bank. In 

 this profile there is the same tendency as noted in Profile No. 6 for 

 the Labrador Current to spread out superficially at the Tail of the 

 Bank. It was this same body of w^ater, as shown in Profile No. 7, 

 which drifted bergs ''D," ''E,'' and ''J" southward around the Tail. 

 (See berg chart "F.") 



PROFILE NO. 10. STATIONS 217, 223 TO 228. 



This section runs southwesterly from " C " (see chart "A ") into deep 

 water. It was occupied May 23-30. 



Salinity. — Gulf Stream water salter than 35.0 "/oo lies at the outer 

 stations to a depth of 450 meters (246 fathoms). Fresh bank water 

 exhibits a tendency to spread south of the slope on the surface. A 

 bottom layer of water >33.0 7oo li^s on the bank. 



Temperature. — A head of warm surface water >.10° C, 425 meters 

 in thicloiess, is present at the outer stations. Negative temperature 

 water is found on the bottom of the bank. The surface temperature 

 over the bank shows the effect of the increased solar warmth with the 



