Figure 19. — Temperature distribution between South Wolf Island, Labrador, 

 and Cape Farewell, Greenland, 18-23 July 1951. 



Figure 19 shows the temperature distribution along the section 

 across the Labrador Sea from South Wolf Island, Labrador, to 

 Cape Farewell, Greenland, from data collected during the post- 

 season cruise of 1951. The temperature minimum layer which 

 characterizes the Labrador Current over the shelf was not as cold 

 as usual. The warm tongue which extends inshore and downward 

 to the continental slope beneath the core of the Labrador Current 

 is to be seen in figure 19 between the 3.4° isotherms. This tongue 

 contained maximum temperatures slightly warmer than 3.5° and 

 thus was colder than usual by several tenths of a degree. The 

 temperature minimum which is a feature of the intermediate water 

 of the Labrador Sea in summer was somewhat warmer than the 

 usual 3.17°. The warmer offshore part of the West Greenland 

 Current, usually contributed by the Irminger Current, was colder 

 than usual again with temperatures exceeding 5° only in a small 

 tongue extending inshore and downward toward the edge of the 

 shelf at station 4610. Temperatures as high as 6° were not found 

 except in the upper 50 meters. 



The deficiency of Irminger Current water indicated by the sub- 

 normal temperatures of the West Greenland Current is also shown 

 in figure 20 by the subnormal salinity of this part of the West 

 Greenland Current. This figure shows the salinity distribution 

 found in 1951 along the Greenland end of the South Wolf Island- 

 Cape Farewell section. The salinity maximum, which was re- 

 markably constant at 35.04o/oo until 1949, was only 34.96o/oo in 

 1951 as compared with 34.97 in 1949 and 34.99 in 1950. The small 



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