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Pari III. — Seventh Annual Report 



characters of the North Sea. The account of this expedition, published 

 in 1875, contains a mass of the most valuable information, and remains 

 to this day the standard source of information on the subject. 



A most important feature in the system of investigation carried on by 

 the Commission has been the establishment of fixed observing stations 

 along the German coasts in the North Sea and in the Baltic. The 

 number of stations in 1873 was 14, 10 of which were at points on the 

 Baltic, and 4 on the North Sea coasts. Since then the number has been 

 increased to 17. The daily observations made and recorded are published 

 quarterly, and from 1873 onwards the Commission have published an 

 uninterrupted series of these observations. 



The value of such observations obviously increases in proportion to the 

 area over which they extend, and the Kiel Commission have repeatedly 

 expressed the hope that their system, or a similar system of regular 

 observations at fixed stations, would be adopted by this and other 

 countries along the North Sea littoral. 



So far this appeal has not met with the response which the importance 

 of the subject deserves, except in Denmark, where, since 1880, observations 

 have been made and recorded at 21 stations, only 2 of which are, 

 however, on the North Sea. 



A great advantage hoped to be gained from the proposed expedition 

 was, therefore, the establishment of direct communications with the 

 Members of the German Commission at Kiel, and with the Directors of 

 the Danish Meteorological Institute at Copenhagen, under whose direction 

 the Danish observations are carried on. It was also proposed to pay a 

 visit to Bergen, the chief centre of the Norwegian fisheries. 



The Fishery Board having given their consent to the expedition, 

 permission was obtained from the Admiralty for the employment of 

 H.M.S. 'Jackal ' during September and the early part of October for the 

 purposes of the expedition. 



The General Character of the North Sea. 



The following brief sketch of the outstanding features of the North Sea 

 is based on Dr Meyer's Eeport on the Physical Observations made during 

 the ' Pominerania ' Expedition in the summer of 1872, and though 

 necessarily incomplete, will, I hope, serve the purpose of bringing the 

 bearing of the series of observations detailed in the following tables 

 into clearer light. Dr Meyer's report has unfortunately not been pub- 

 lished in English as yet. 



In the chart of the North Sea, Plate X., accompanying this report the 

 varying depth is indicated by different degrees of shading, the darkest 

 shading corresponding to the greatest depth. Absence of shading 

 indicates that the depth does not exceed 20 fathoms. 



A reference to this chart will show that broadly speaking, the North 

 Sea is naturally divided into two areas by the Dogger Bank. A line 

 running along the northern edge of the Dogger Bank and extended to a 

 point in the Skagerack midway between the Skaw and Norwegian Coast 

 may, with a fair approach to accuracy, be regarded as cutting off the 

 two areas from each other. 



The northern and greater area is characterised by a gradual shelving of 

 the bottom from south to north, the depth of water increasing from less 

 than 50 fathoms immediately to the north of the Dogger Bank to between 

 60 fathoms and 90 fathoms at about 61° north latitude. 



A remarkable and important feature of the northern area is the deep 

 and narrow furrow or channel which runs along the coast of Norway, 



