156 FRIDTJOF NANSEN. 



from the North Polar Basin, even the minimum of temperature 

 (—1-42° C. at Stat. 18, and —1-36° C. at Stat. 19) at about 60 m. 

 is situated almost at the same depth as in the North Polar Basin 

 where it occurred between 50 and 60 m. The lower boundary 

 of the Polar Current is also situated very nearly at the same 

 depth of about 200 m. at both places. 



Under the Polar Water we have somewhat warmer water, 

 which has not, however, the same high salinity as in the North 

 Polar Basin. Whether the underlymg warmer water in this case 

 comes from the north or west or from the south or south-east, 

 is somewhat difficult to decide at present, though the latter may 

 be most probable. But our section proves at any rate, that there 

 is no active influx of underlying warm and saline water from 

 the east to such an extent as Prof. Pettersson seems disposed to 

 assume, which should be caused by the melting process of the 

 ice. 1 Nor do I believe that this influx to the south of Jan 

 Mayen 2 is able to explain the occurrence of underlying warmer 

 and more saline w^ater at intermediate depths farther south, east 

 of Iceland, as found during the Ingolf Expedition. 



The melting of the polar ice cannot have the great effect 

 upon the circulation of the Ocean which Prof. Pettersson has 

 ascribed to it. In forming his ingenious theory he has, in my 

 opinion, chiefly made the following mistakes : 



(1) He has overestimated the mean thickness of thelice 

 between Iceland and Jan Mayen. Instead of 10 m. this is at 



1 0. Pettersson, Petermann' s Geogr. Mitteilungen, 1900, Part III & IV. 

 See also Öfvers. K. Svenska Vet-Akad. Förli., 1899, No. 3. 



2 I believe there may actually be an influx of warmer water from the 

 east near Jan Mayen, but this is very small. At our Stations from 

 19 to 23 we found the conditions very changeable. At Stat. 20 we sud- 

 denly found the temperature above 0° C, at all depths and the salinities 

 comparatively high, while at short distances on both sides we found 

 the regular stratum of Polar water, although with somewhat varying 

 temperatures. It was evident that we had there narrow tongues of 

 warmer and more saline water penetrating into the Polar water. 



