16 0. Nordgaard. [No. 8 



The Ofoten fjord and its branches have not yet been investi- 

 gated by soundings; it may however witb certainty be concluded 

 from the observations in the Skjomen on Febr. 9tb, that the latter 

 fjord is shut off from the deep-channel of the Ofoten by a submersed 

 sill, which prevents the warm ocean water from streaming into it. 

 At the fishing station Eeine a branch-fjord from the Vestfjord, 

 called Kirkfj orden, stretches into the Moskenæsø. At the depth of 

 100 m. (bottom) I found t. = 2,7 and s. = 33,48 (March 3rd 1899). 

 On the same day the temperature in the Vestfjord, 11 miles SE. 

 off Reine, was at 100 m. 6,5, and salinity 34,52. This suggests 

 that the Kirkfjord too is shut out from any great afflux of ocean 

 water, for in such a case both temperature and salinity must have 

 been higher. On the contrary it appeared from observations in 

 the Tysfjord and Sagfjord (on the continental side of the Vestfjord) 

 that the latter two bad received large quantities of ocean water. 

 That these different hydrographical conditions of the fjords also come 

 out in the famiistic character is bey ond doubt. Generally speaking, 

 the fauna of fjords like Kirkfjord, Øgsfjord, and Kanstadfjord, bears 

 a more arctic character than for instance that of the Vestfjord. 

 I shall say a little more of this in my last paragraph. While the 

 shut-up basins of the fjord-system of the Vestfjord (Eombakbotten, 

 Skjomen, Kanstadfjord, Øgsfjord, Kirkfjord, &c.) bad a temperature 

 of 00—3° C. and salinity of 33—34 %o (at wintertime), the more 

 northerly arctic fjords (Malangen, Lyngen, Kvænangen and Pors- 

 anger fjord) were distinguished by higher salinity, vi^:. 34 — 35 Voo. 

 Temperature was highest in Malangen with 4°,1 C. (Apr. 12th, depth 

 380 m.). 



A common feature of both the above-mentioned larger fjords 

 and the shut-up basins is the great homogeneousness of the water, 

 by which the cooling process of the wintei is greatly favoured. 



The simultaneous observations in Øgsfjord and in Vestfjord 

 ;give us a lower boundary for the surplus of temperature due to 

 the Gulf Stream. As previously mentioned the temperature at 

 200 m. was in the Øgsfjord l^,? and 1^,4 (March iOth and 14th 

 respectively), while outside in the Vestfjord at the same depth it 

 was 6,7. From this I think the conclusion may be drawn that 

 the Gulf Stream at wintertime in Lofoten has the power 

 of raising the temperature at the depth of 200 m. by at 

 least 5^ C. The shutting-out of that stream from the North Ocean 

 Avould thus have dangerous consequences. The pulsations of the 



