As shown in figure 22, the salinity maximum at depths of 150 

 to 200 meters off Cape Farwell had a value of 35.00°/ oo in 1956. 

 This characteristic warm high salinity water in the off-shore part 

 of the West Greenland Current is normally contributed by the 

 Irminger Current. In the 1930's this salinity maximum was re- 

 markably constant at about 35.04°/ oo but in 1949 it dropped to 

 34.97 and has not since attained its pre war value. In 1952, 1954 

 and 1956 there were indications of a partial return to the earlier 

 situation, with the maximum values of 35.01, 35.00 and 35.00°/ 00 

 respectively. The lower salinity values of this maximum have 

 been interpreted as indicating a failure of Irminger Current 

 water to round Cape Farewell. The increase found in 1956 is 

 considered to be a trend toward the restoration of conditions which 

 existed during the 1930's and regarded as the normal situation. 



This view is given support by the volume and heat transports of 

 the West Greenland Current at this section. In bulletin 35 of this 

 series normal seasonal variation relationships were published for 

 the parent components (the East Greenland Current and the 

 Irminger Current) based on assumptions that the mean tempera- 

 ture of the East Greenland Current component was constant at 

 3.2° and the mean temperature of the Irminger Current com- 

 ponent was constant at 5.5° and that the seasonal variation in 

 mean temperature of the resultant West Greenland Current was 

 the result of seasonal variations in the volume transports of the 

 parent components. From these normal seasonal variation curves 

 the normal transports for the date of the 1956 occupation would 

 be 2.88 and 1.65 for the Irminger Current and East Greenland 

 Current components. These compare with actual transports of 

 2.86 and 4.46 respectively, indicating a normal contribution of 

 the Irminger Current component and a contribution by the East 

 Greenland Current about 2-2/3 normal. The total transport, mean 

 temperature and heat transport of the West Greenland Current 

 found in 1956 were 7.32, 4.10 and 30.01 respectively. 



The net transport across the entire section from South Wolf 

 Island, Labrador to Cape Farewell, Greenland, was northwest- 

 ward about 2.54, which is of the same order of magnitude as the 

 positive anomaly of the East Greenland Current contribution. 



SUMMARY 



1. The three dynamic topographic charts resulting from the 

 season's current surveys have been discussed. 



2. A more detailed analysis of the Labrador Current has been 

 made based on the velocity profiles at 18 selected sections occupied 

 during the 1956 season and post season cruises. 



63 



