OCEANOGRAPHICAL RESULTS, MICHAEL SARS, 1900. 149 



Our investigations will give a new idea of the vertical dis- 

 tribution of salinity and density in the Norwegian Sea, as will 

 easily be seen if our Sections I and II (Pis. 6, 7) be compared 

 with the Sections VIII and XV of the Norwegian North Atlantic 

 Expedition. 1 Our determinations prove that the changes both 

 in vertical and horizontal direction are much more regular and 

 gradual than was formerly assumed, and they also demonstrate 

 clearly that the density of the water of the Norwegian Sea 

 is more dependant on the temperature of the water than on 

 the salinity, the course of the isopyknals (lines of equal den- 

 sity) resembling more that of the isotherms than that of the 

 isohalines. But at the same time our sections pi-ove that 

 it is of vital importance that the salinity or rather the specific 

 gravity as well as the temperature of the water should be deter- 

 mined with the highest possible degree of accuracy, as only 

 slight inaccuracies in this respect, especially in determinations of 

 the deeper strata may lead to very erronous conclusions with 

 regard to the circulation of the sea. 



That Mohn's sections should differ much from ours could 

 hardly be otherwise, as the observations, especially of the sah- 

 nity or specific gravity of the sea-water, at intermediate depths 

 were too few and the methods at that time too imperfect to give 

 quite trustworthy information in this respect. It is nevertheless 

 remarkable how well Mohn's sections showing the vertical dis- 

 tribution of temperature agree with ours considering the rela- 

 tively imperfect instruments which were at his disposal. 



Our Section I (Pis. 6, 7, and 12) demonstrates that this 

 part of the Norwegian Sea is filled with four kinds of water; 

 (1) a thick and extremely uniform stratum of cold bottom-water, 

 with a salinity of 35"05 ^/oo or 35*06 %o ^ and a temperature be- 



1 See MoHN, I. c, Pis. X, XI, XXXVI, XXXVII, XXXIX, XL. 



- These values are only preliminary, as the value of the salinity dejiends 

 on the formula used for referring specific gravity to salinity. Helland- 

 Hansein' has by titration found the salinity of this water to be 



