28 



KJELLMAN, THE ALG^ OF THE ARCTIC SEA. 



5 — 15 fathoms has a most considerably lesser gravity, i. e. salinity, than sea-water in 

 general. It is not to be supposed, indeed, that this salinity is too slight to allow 

 marine algge in general to grow, but is certainly too little to ofPer tolerable or suitable 

 conditions for the development of purely pelagic forms, such as the majority of the 

 arctic algae. It is remarkable that the only localities richer in algae that have been met 

 with in these seas, are situated in those parts where the influence of the large Siberian 

 rivers is least felt, viz. in the most easterly parts of the Kara Sea about Taimyr Is- 

 land and in the Siberian Sea east of Cape Baranow. 



In the other parts of the Arctic Sea the salinity of the water is nearly equal to 

 that of common sea-water, as is shown by the following table. 



P 1 a 



Depth in 

 fathoms. 



Salinity of 

 the water. 



Sonrce of the statement. 



The North Sea (German Ocean) 



The Atlantic hetween Scotland and Newfoundland. 



North Cape and Spitzbergen 



The Norwegian Polar Sea, Fogle Sonnd _ 



The Marman Sea, Besimannaja Bay 



» , Western month of Matotshkin Shar.. 



» » a 



The White Sea 



The American Arctic Sea, Lancaster Sound 



Baffin Bay, Simiutat on the west coast of Greenland ... 

 Nagsugtok » 



The Greenland Sea off the east coast of Greenland . 





 



50 

 



20 





 

 

 5 

 10 

 20 

 



3,28 

 3.59 

 3,53 

 3,34 

 3,27 

 3,42 

 3,03 

 3,38 

 3,22 

 3,32 

 3,41 

 3,30 

 3,31 

 3,35 

 3,36 

 3,326 



Cool. Phys. Geogr. p. 269—270. 



NoEDENSKioLD, Proven, p. 110. 



Stuxbebg, Vega-exp. p. 694. 

 Paeey, Zweite Keise, p. 126. 



Jensen, Gronl. Medd. p. 206—207. 



BoEGEN, Zweite deutsche Polarf. p. 680. 



Temperature of the sea. The following statements seem to me to afford sufficient 

 materials for deciding whether the conditions of temperature in the Arctic Sea are to 

 be considered as causing in some degree the peculiarities in the general character of 

 the marine vegetation. In the Norwegian Polar Sea near North Cape, according to 

 MoHN, the average temperature of the sea is 



during December — February + 3°^o3 C. 



» March — May + 3° o » 



» June — August + 7° 3 » 



» September — November + 6°,3 » ^) 



Observations made during the Swedish expedition of 1872—1873 north and west 

 of Spitzbergen in the month of July (1—18) gave the following results: 



') MoHN, Temp. Verhaltn. p. 429. 



