1872.] 



Temperature of the Arctic Sea. 



95 



Among the many advantages that would result from cireumpolar 

 research and the following up of this warm current, not the least im- 

 portant would be the insight which it would probably afford as to the 

 regulating influences of the weather of North Europe, or generally of the 

 northern hemisphere. Meteorologists have long suspected that the 

 weather in Western Europe depends in some way upon what has hap- 

 pened in the vicinity of the pole. The many advantages to be gained to 

 science by circurnpolar navigation cannot be doubted. Among them 

 would be careful observations of the currents and temperatures of the 

 surface and at various depths, and organisms which doubtless would be 

 obtained by dredging, as far as practicable, in the bed of the Arctic Sea, in 

 the highest latitude, and the probable extension of the whale-fisheries, as 

 well as the discovery of new land, should such exist. 



June 1. — The edge of the ice was 170 miles distant, and the warm 

 water was found at the surface, and cold water, which is of greater 

 density, below. 



June 13. — The sounding was taken at the edge of the pack. If the 

 experiments had been continued, increasing temperature would pro- 

 bably have been found at a lower depth, as was the case further north. 



June 15. — To-day we were well in the ice, and -had only time to sound 

 in 50 fathoms ; but even here we found an increasing temperature. 



June 17. — Being far in the ice, we only found a slight increase. 



June 18. — A second sounding, 50 fathoms deeper than yesterday, when 

 sailing among large pieces of floe-ice, gave an increasing temperature up 

 to 48° E. 



June 19. — To-day we had an increase of 7° above the surface-tempera- 

 ture at 250 fathoms deep, although but 10 miles distant from yesterday's 

 soundings ; but the ice was more open : probably evaporation occurred 

 here, owing to the surface not being so closely covered with ice. 



June 20. — The first sounding shows the water to be coldest at the ice- 

 foot ; the second and third prove the increasing temperature, which, as 

 we were somewhat more closely packed in the ice, increased more quickly, 

 and 39° F. is obtained at 150 fathoms deep. 



June 22. — Here we were more closely packed. The surface was a degree 

 colder than yesterday, and the water at the ice-foot had also gone down 

 half a degree ; but the warm stream below was the same. If we had had 

 time to sound at greater depths, the temperature of the water would in 

 all probability have been found still on the increase. 



June 27. — In this case we have the warm current clearly defined at 250 

 fathoms depth, being kept below by the lighter ice-water, which is nearly 

 fresh and of less specific gravity. 



July 1. — We were clear of the ice, and had a lower temperature than 

 before obtained. If the flow of warm water came from the south, the 

 surface-temperature would have been greater than any temperature as 

 yet obtained, because of the absence of ice. 



VOL. XXT. H 



