8 MARION AND GENERAL GREENE EXPEDITIONS 



ficiency of Arctic water south of Newfoundland. The density wall, 

 normally offshore in deep water, in this scheme is held to migrate 

 in on to the bank itself, where cabbeling is free to supply an ab- 

 normal quantity of cold water directly to the bottom. An intensi- 

 lied Labrador Current, on the other hand, bars cabbeling and makes 

 for unusually warm water and poor fishing on the Grand Banks. 

 The Ice Patrol's observations, taken in spring and early summer and 

 our own interpretations of the hydrology, differ materially from 

 those of Beauge's as will be discussed in subsequent pages. In this 

 connection we have been unable to find station table data in concise 

 and complete form accompanying Beauge's text and figures. This 

 makes comparisons much more difficult. In each of the sununers of 

 1929, 1930, 1931, and 1932, Beauge's Grand Banks studies were sup- 

 plemented with a cruise to the west Greenland banks. Sections 

 through the Labrador Sea have been made from the Strait of Belle 

 Isle to the offing of Godthaab and to a depth of 300 meters. A com- 

 parison between 1929 and 1931 (the only 2 years for which both 

 temperature and salinity profiles are shown) indicates that in 1931 

 a decrease in the Arctic water had taken place while Atlantic water 

 >35%o had appeared in surprising volume. These observations re- 

 garding the volume and salinity of Atlantic water do not agree with 

 our own taken at about the same time and place across the Labrador 

 Sea by the General Greene. The subject will be discussed further in 

 the appropriate section. 



In 1924 the Norwegian Government vessel Michael Sars, conduct- 

 ing a scientific study of whale population and fishing in the North 

 Atlantic, carried out hydrographical investigations in Davis Strait. 

 Martens (1929) reported the results of the observations made at 75 

 stations, about half of which were taken in west Greenland and 

 Davis Strait waters. Martens concludes from a study of the sections 

 between Iceland and Greenland and that across Davis Strait (a) 

 Atlantic water of 6° C and >35%o was a branch of the Irminger 

 Current which flowed around Cape Farewell and into Davis Strait as 

 far northward as the ridge and (6) an under current of warm water, 

 200 to 500 meters deep, flowed northward across Davis Strait Ridge, 

 while above 200 meters cold water flowed in the opposite direction. 



In June and July 1925 the Danish fisheries vessel Danu, carried 

 out hydrographical investigations between Iceland and Greenland 

 and also along the west coast of Greenland. Baggesgaard-Rasmus- 

 sen and Jacobsen (1930) reported (a) the presence along the west 

 coast of Greenland at 50 meters depth of water of —0.24° C. and 

 33.42%o which was believed to be a mixture of east Greenland and 

 Davis Strait w^aters; (h) farther north in west Greenland in latitude 

 65° to 68°30', a temperature of -0.7° C. and 34.12%o, at 100 

 meters, indicated a mixture involving water from Baffin Bay; (c) 

 the outer stations, 50-75 miles off the coast of west Greenland, with 

 temperatures of 4° C and salinity 34.95%o, indicated the influence 

 of the Irminger Current. 



In July and August 1926 the auxiliary schooner yacht Chance 

 carried out a brief but important oceanographic reconnaissance of 

 the practically imknown subsui-face waters of Labrador, Iselin 

 (1930), leader of the expedition, has published an exposition based 

 not only on the Chancers two sections across the Labrador shelf but 



