22 
liggende Lag skulde kunne hidføre en anden Fordeling af 
Luften end den. der allerede existeror fra den Tid. da 
Våndet sidste Gang befandt sig i Overfladen udsat lor tri 
Paavirkning af AtniQsphæren. Luften vil saaledes kun 
gjennem Vandets Circulation kunne naa ned i Dybet, og 
nogen Udjevning af Luftmængderne vil der kun kunne ske 
gjennem Blanding af de forskjelligartede Vandinrengder. en 
Blanding, som under Forudsætning at at der ikke ogsaa 
foregaar ()|)\annning eller Afkjoling. ikke vil kunne for- 
rykke det rette Forhold melleni Temperatur og Kvælstof- 
nnengde. da Kvælstofmængdons 1 \ ariation med Temperatu- 
ren fremstilles ved* en ret Lihie. 
Man vil altsaa, dersom disse Forudsætninger holde 
Stik, ved en Kvielstofbestemmelse i de dybere liggende 
Vandlag kunne om end meget raat bestemme, om disse 
have været Gjenstand for en væseiitlig Opvarmning eller 
Atkjoling. siden de sidst befandt sig i OverHaden. forudsat 
at man kan negligere Virkningerne af Atmosplneretrykkets 
Forandringer og andre mulige '1‘ilfaddigheder. som under 
Absorbtionen i OverHaden vil kunne gjøre sin Tndflydelse 
gjeldende. 
Grupperer man de her offentliggjorte Observationer 
efter Vandprøvernos Temperatur, viser, det sig, at Ivvæl- 
stolinængden meget nøie' svarer til den efter denne Tempe- 
ratur af Formelen beregnede, det vil sige. Vandprøvernes 
Temperatur skulde ikke i væseiitlig Grad have forandret 
sig, siden de sidst befandt sig i Overfladen. M:tp faar 
nemlig : 
Temporatur- 
interval. 
Midlore 
Temperatur. 
Midlore 
Kviidstof- 
nuengde. 
. Beregnet 
Kvælstof- 
inængde. 
Diflerents. 
under o" 
1. 1 
M- 32 . . 
14-65 
6.33 
0—3 ' 
1.2 
14.19 
14.12 
— 0.07 
3-6 
4.6 
CC 
rr 3 
r r> 
13-34 
— O.04 
6—9 
7-5 
I 2.90 
12.67 
—O.13 
over 9 
I 1.2 
1 1 -93 
1 1.82 
— 0. 1 1 
the surface causing a distribution of the air different to 
that which existed when the water was last at the- surface, 
in direct contact with the atmosphere. Hence the air. 
cannot penetrate to such depths save by the circulation 
of the water, and an adjustment of the amounts of air can 
be effected solely by the mixing of the water different in 
composition, which will not, however, unless we assume 
a simultaneous increase or decrease of heat, disturb the 
true relation between the temperature and the amount of 
nitrogen, since the variation of the latter with the temper- 
ature is expressed by a right line. 
If. then, these assumptions are found to hold good, 
it will be possible, when computing the proportion of nitro- 
gen in the lower strata of the water, to determine — very 
roughly indeed — .whether the latter have experienced 
any increase or decrease of heat since they were last at 
the surface, provided we can ignore the effect of change 
in the atmospheric pressure and of other accidental circum- 
stances’, which, durjng the process of absorption, may have 
made their influence felt. 
On grouping together according to the temperature 
of the samples of water examined, the observations published 
in this Memoir, the proportion of nitrogen will be found 
to agree very closely with that computed by the formula, 
showing, as appears from the following Table, that the 
temperature could have varied but little since the water 
had been last at the surface. 
Intervals 
of 
Temperature. 
Mean 
Temperature. 
Mean 
Amount of 
Nitrogen. 
Computed 
Amount . of 
Nitrogen. 
Difference. 
below O 0 
— i°.i 
14.32 
14.65 
0-33 
0—3 
1.2 
14-19 
I +.12 
—0.07 
3—6 
4 - 6 ., 
I 3.38 
13.34 
—0.04 
6—9 
7-5 
12.90 
12.67 
-O.13 
above 9 
. 1 1.2 
U.93 
I 1.82 
- 0.11 
At Overensstemmelsen for Temperaturerne under 0° 
ikke er saa fuldstændig som ellers, skyldes ogsaa her de 
ovenfor nævnto 5 Observationer alle udførte paa Togtet i 
1877. Beregner man derimod den midlere Temperatur og 
Kvælstofmængde for dette Interval af ile paa sidste Aars 
Togt gjorte Observationer. erholder man til Middeltempe- 
raturen 1.2 Kvadstofunengdeii 14.59 CC. altsaa kun 
0.09 CC. mindre end beregnet. 
Benyttes paa samme Maade de af l)r. Jacobsen of- 
fentligjortc Observationer til et Overslag over Kvælstof- 
mamgden i Nordsøen. erholder man med runde Tal: 
For the temperatures under 0*' the agreement is in- 
deed not so close; but here, too, the cause may he traced 
to the aforesaid 5 observations from the voyage in 1877. 
H'. however, we compute the mean temperature, and the 
amount of nitrogen for that interval by the results of the 
observations instituted on the last voyage, the mean tem- 
perature w ill be — 1.2 and the amount of nitrogen 14.59 •*, 
or only 0.09 ee less than that computed by the formula. 1 
A similar comifutation w ith the observations published 
by Dr. Jacobsen for estimating the amount of nitrogen in 
the. water of the iCorth Sea, will give, in round numbers, 
the following results: — 
