OCEANOGRAPHICAL RESULTS, MICHAEL SARS, 1900. 159 



If we follow the course of the isopyknals from Stat. 9 east- 

 ward along Sect. I, we find tliat there is no tendency in the sur- 

 face-water to flow eastward, but Ihe tendency goes in the oppo- 

 site direction, which is, however, probably more than checked 

 by the Earth's rotation (cf. p. 151). But the underlying strata 

 at Stat. 9 have a very strong tendency to sink towards the 

 east into the deeper waters of the Gulf Stream which have 

 the same density. We see for instance that the water at 100 m. 

 at Stat 9 has the same density (1-02790) as the water at 488 m. 

 at Stat. 7. It is therefore probable that a great deal of the 

 heavy water at Stat. 9 takes this course, and that the lower 

 strata of the Gulf Stream is thus gradually intermixed with colder 

 and less saline water from the East Icelandic Polar Current, two 

 waters of nearly the same density and withouth any sharp boun- 

 dary having great facility to intermix. 



In Section II we find a similar distribution of tbe densities. 

 It is thus quite simply explained why the temperature and sali- 

 nity of the deeper waters of the Gulf Stream is gradually decreas- 

 ing northward from below. At the same time the waters of the 

 Gult" Stream is, as above stated, also diluted by the Norwegian 

 Coast- Water and the water from the Baltic and the North Sea, 

 but this dihition will chiefly occur in the surface of the Gulf 

 Stream and cannot influence the deeper layers. In the northern 

 part of the sea, north of Norway, the decrease in salinity and 

 temperature of the water of the Gulf Sti-eam may naturally also 

 be due to intermixture with northern waters from the Barents 

 Sea, the sea west and north of Spitsbergen, etc. 



The course of the isopyknals along the Gulf Stream in 

 Section III (PI. 14) from Stat. 7 to Stat. 64 prove that there is 

 a strong tendency in the waters of the Gulf Stream to flow north- 

 ward and this current would therefore exist even if there were 

 no winds to assist it. 



The course of the isopyknals of the deeper strata, below 

 1000 m., seem to indicate that the deep water has on the whole 



