Hydrographical Observations from the Danmark Expedition. 403 



Such a drift was obsen'ed on September 29th 1906, when an open 

 channel ran from the hne betAveen the outermost skerries and ca. 2 km. 

 to sea and as far north and south as one could see from the place of 

 observation, top of Maroussia (26 m. high). 



On January 20th 1907 there was an opening ca. 2 km. broad 

 at the same place. On March 11th 1907 thick fog was observed, which 

 indicated open water ca. 20 km. east of Maroussia. On April 30th 

 1907 large open spaces and banks of fog were observed ca. 20 km. 

 east of Maroussia. 



Later, in May and June, when the weather became calmer, there 

 were no openings or movements to be noticed in the pack-ice, which 

 lay close to land. Not until July 30th 1907 were any openings ob- 

 served and these lay ca. 10 km. east of Maroussia. These openings 

 in the ice gradually approached the land, but on August 13th, when 

 the fjord-ice broke up, the pack-ice still lay immovable in a belt of 

 ca. 7 km. in breadth, presumably bound to the coast by some grounded 

 and frozen-in icebergs. In the latter half of August offshore winds 

 and rain-storms were frequent, but the pack-ice still remained im- 

 movable. 



It was not until September, when the new ice had again begun 

 to form in the harbour and fjords, that some open rifts in the drift- 

 ice reached right in to Maroussia, but they were only of small extent. 

 There was no open coastal water as in the previous summer. On 

 September 21st 1907 a heavy N. W. swell drove all the drift-ice ca. 

 1% km. out to sea. 



The new ice then lay e\'ery\vhere in the fjords. The westerly, 

 heavy swell continuing, the pack-ice was kept away from the coast 

 until October 5th and the new ice in the fjords was partially broken 

 up. This process began round about the icebergs, which under pres- 

 sure of the wind were forced through the still insufficiently resistant 

 ice, and also at the places where the tidal currents, owing to the nar- 

 rowing of the waters, ran \\dth greater rapidity (e. g. in Øresund be- 

 tween Baadskær and С Bornholm). 



On October 24th the outer fjords again froze completely, but 

 in the mouth of Mørkefjord, where the tidal current was specially 

 strong, this did not occur until so late as November 28th. 



During the winter of 1907 — 08 there was somewhat more move- 

 ment in the drift-ice than in the previous winter. On November 

 10th 1907 large open spaces were observed ca. 7 km. east of Maroussia 

 after a four days storm from the N. W. and on December 20th 1907 

 again large openings close to the coast. Thereafter no openings were 

 observed until May 14th 1908, when there Avas open water ca. 4 km. 

 east of Maroussia. 



The openings then became frequent and on June 26th 1908 the 

 drift-ice was detached from the coast, the ice-fields which were^to 



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