1899] Some Hydrograpliical Kesults. 21 



ern coasts of JNorway". (Written in Norwegian). Supporting him- 

 self on his comprehensive zoological investigations, he draws in 

 great features the boundary lines of the extention southwards of 

 the arctic fauna. On page 6 (1. c.) is said: "The boundary of the 

 arctic region proper will thus form a very irregular line which 

 touches the outer coast on the latitude of North Cape and then 

 follows the inner side of the outer 'sJcjærgaarcV southwards 

 until past the Artic circle." The Vestfjord especially is cha- 

 racterized in the following manner (1. c, p. 3): "In the lit- 

 toral and sublittoral zone some characteristic arctic animal forms 

 begin probably to appear. On the contrary I have found the fauna 

 in the deep to be chief ly south ern in its character and very like 

 the same on our west coast." — When we no w know that the Vest- 

 fjord from 200 — 250 m. to the bottom is always filled with ocean 

 water of the temperature of 6° — 7^ C, we cannot w^onder that the 

 deep-water fauna has a south ern character. The natur al condi- 

 tions in the deep of the Vestfjord are mainly the same as those 

 of our western fjords, so it is nothing strange that there should 

 be a faunistic similarity. Likewise one had to expect that the 

 arctic element should make its appearance in the littoral zone, be- 

 cause the latter is not under the direct influence of the ocean 

 water, while on the contrary it is directly influenced by the perio- 

 dical changes of the atmosphere caused by seasons. It is there- 

 fore most likely that the Vestfjord forms the northern boundary to 

 a great number of boreal animal forms occurring within the region 

 of the fjords. 



That for instance the lobster goes to the Vestfjord (and the 

 Tysfjord) is hardly accidental. Other characteristic decapods, as 

 miinida tenuimana, G. 0. Såes, and pandahis proiyinqtius, G. 

 0. Saes^ are also not found north of Lofoten. The coral lofho- 

 helia prolifera and the decapod gcdathodes tridentcdus, Esmaek, 

 that is connected with the said coral, also seem to have their 

 northern boundary here. In the open sea, however, some of these 

 have no doubt been able to emigrate further north, supported and 

 favoured by the influence of the north-running current on the 

 physical conditions. That the fauna of the ocean coast has a 

 boreal character quite up to the North Cape may be ascribed to 

 the stronger effects of that current on the waters of the coast sea. 

 The effect of such a current will depend on the distance from its 

 temperuture axis, and this positive factor is supported in case of 



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