DAVIS STRAIT AND LABRADOR SEA 



73 



cold, fresh current on the west and a warmer, saltier one on the east 

 is contained in the temperature and salinity maps for the 500-meter 

 level (fig. 42), There is also a suggestion in the form and position 

 of the isotherms and the isohalines near the 100-meter isobath at 

 the southern end of Baffin Bay (fig. 15) that the Baffin Land Cur- 

 rent at times spreads southeasterly in the surface layers toward 

 Great Hellefiske Bank and may even dam temporarily the northward 

 set of the Greenland waters. 



60 S8 36 S4 62 60 58 5fo 



Figure 42. — The temperature and salinity at 500 meters. 



54 



VERTICAL DISTRIBUTION OF TEMPERATURE AND SALINITY 



Martens (1929) has published cross sections of the temperature 

 and salinity taken along the top of the ridge and has given a clear 

 exposition of what are regarded as normal conditions. Two sections 

 only of temperature and salinity, therefore, are presented here — 

 Marion's section 5 and GodthaaVs section 2, both of which illustrate 

 interesting features of the above variables. 



Marion'' 8 section 5 (fig. 43), following southwesterly along the 

 edge of Disko Island Bank, intersected typical banks water. The 

 intermediate and bottom water, with temperatures below 0° C, were 

 probably reminiscent of winter chilling. The warmest and saltiest 

 water, according to the profile, is noted at a depth of 400 meters 

 on the Greenland slope. Arctic water with temperatures less than 

 0° C. from station 1015 southward filled the surface layers to a 



