Labrador Shelf, a steep horizontal temperature gradient over the 

 continental slope and relatively warm water offshore. On the Green- 

 land side the cold inshore component (3.2° mean) of the West Green- 

 land Current, apparently closer inshore than normal, was barely 

 sampled, since occupation of stations closer to shore was prohibited 

 by sea ice. The Irminger component is marked by water warmer 

 than 5°. 



Isohalines over the Labrador Shelf show in figure 28 a characteristic 

 slope with a graduation from the very low salinity coastal water to 

 salinities greater than 34.80°/oo over the continental slope. The 

 35.00°/oo Isohaline outlines the core of the Irminger component of 

 the West Greenland Current on the Greenland side, while a secondary 

 high defined by the 34.95 %o isoline possibly represents a recurving 

 of mixed water containing a high proportion of Irminger water. 



Upon comparing dissolved oxygen content, figure 29, with salinity 

 distribution, a vivid correlation, as in the 2 previous years, is noted 

 between the salinity maximum and oxygen minimum at 2,000 to 3,000 

 meters. This is also reflected in the percent saturation distribution, 

 figure 30. Again, as previously, the higher oxygen values are asso- 

 ciated with the colder water masses. 



An analysis of the temperature and velocity structure of the West 

 Greenland Current showed a volume transport of 2.44 X 10^ rnVsecond 

 as compared to the seasonal normal of 5.84 X 1 0*^ mVsec. The cold East 

 Greenland component had a volume transport of 0.84X10^ mVsec. 

 as compared to a seasonal normal of 2.89 X 10^ m^/sec, and the warmer 

 Irminger component had a volume transport of L60X10^ mVsec. as 

 compared to a seasonal normal of 2.95X10® mVsec. The mean tem- 

 perature for 1963 was 4.71° C. as compared with the seasonal normal 

 of 4.36° C. Heat transport calculated from temperature and volume 

 transport was found to be 11.50X10® m^ °C./sec. as compared 

 with the seasonal normal of 25.47X10® m^ °C./sec. The method of 

 analysis is described in Bulletin 42 of this series. 



In an attempt to characterize the intermediate water and deep 

 water for an entire occupation of the section, averages have been 

 taken for all observed temperatures and salinities from depths be- 

 tween 450 and 1,750 meters in the central part of the Labrador Sea 

 and scaled values of temperature and salinity at all stations at levels 

 of 2,000, 2,500, 3,000, and 3,500 meters. These values for the 1963 

 occupation of the section are given below in comparison with averages 

 for the 16-year period 1948-63. As can be seen from the table, all 

 temperatures, potential temperatures, and salinities were higher than 

 average, with the exception of temperature and potential temperature 

 at 3,500 meters. The number of observations made at the 3,500- 

 meter level are limited and this should be taken into consideration 

 when comparing these results with previous years. 



57 



731-298 O - 64 - 5 



