104 



tended nortliwestward for a total distance of 80 miles from the 

 Tail, at which place it was being engulfed by warm, salty, Atlantic 

 water which intruded inshore at the 150-meter (82-fathom) depth. 



The pool of icy water which rested on the southwest slope was 

 connected to a shallow surface layer 100 meters (55 fathoms) thick, 

 (<f similar character, but less plainly identified at the Tail. The sup- 

 ]ily of northern water to the Tail had suffered a shrinkage from its 

 J ate of flow, some time previous to March 2o. The volume of polar 

 uater found along the southwest slope March 22-23 corresponded 

 A'ery closely with that found there October hist. 



A dwindling in the flow may have isolated patches of polar water, 

 which have been freighted here during a flood period. Such icy 

 pools left along the southwest slope become engulfed and finally 

 alisorbed by the warmer Atlantic water. In the deeper layers such 

 arctic relics appear to work westward more or less. folloAving around 

 the continental edge, as evidenced by the records, which sometimes 

 ^liow extreme westerly drifts to hevgs in the oceanic triangle west of 

 tlie Grand Bank. 



STATIONS 380, 381, AND 382 



Finding no ice along the southwest slope or around the Tail, the 

 patrol vessel cruised northward along the east side of the Bank, 

 and stations 380, 381, and 382 Avere taken March 25-29. Stations 

 380 and 382 are both about 80 miles north of the Tail, 380 being 

 located exactly on the continental edge, the steepest part of the 

 slope upon which the axis of the icy current has been found to 

 flow. Station 382 was only 18 miles northward of 380, in approxi- 

 mately the same relative position to the edge of the Bank. As 

 might be expected the two stations correspond with respect to 

 temperature and salinity. The temperatures at station 380 of 

 —0.2° — 1°, surface to bottom, and 32.97-33.25 Voo unquestionably 

 designate this colunm of water as arctic in origin. But station 381, 

 located 40 miles north of here and only 17 miles offshore of the edge, 

 revealed some (juite different records. Tlie temperature of the sur- 

 face water, 2.8*^, was no colder than the water to the westward, in 

 <»n the Bank (see station 383, p. lOG), which, being free from ex- 

 ternal intrusions, registered solely local winter cooling. Below the 

 suiface downward to the limit of investigation the water wa< 

 warmer than 2.8°, so we can confidently state that no artic influen'M' 

 was felt at this station, only 17 miles offsliore of the edge. The 

 salinity of 33.73 '*/„„ on the sinface. wliich increased to 34.88 

 ** \,f, at 450 meters (247 fathoms), classified this as slope water, a 

 designation which is in accord with the temperatures: but thei'c 

 was a suggestion, in tlie salinities of 34.86-34.88 Voo- of saltv 



