forbi Spitsbergen Vestkyst. I den mod Øst gaaende Gren 
synker Saltgehalten meget langsomt og jevnt, indtil den 
ved Grændsen af det af Expeditionen .undersøgte Eelt har 
naaet 3.50 °/„. medens den i den nordover flydende Arm 
meget kurtigt synker til endog under 3.45 °/ 0 for atter ved 
Spitsbergens Nord vestkyst at liæve sig til lidt over 3.45 "/ 0 . 
Denne i Vest for Spitsbergen forefundne ringe Salt- 
holdighed i Overdåden er dog sandsynligvis kun eiendom- 
melig for den varmere Aarstid. da der fra Spitsbergens 
mægtige Is- og Snebræér fly der store Mængder Fersk vand 
ned i det tilstødende Hav. 
Indflydelsen af saadant fra Kysterne udgaaende Fersk- 
vand indskrænker sig dog liovedsagelig kun til meget smaa 
Dyb. da det saavel af disse som tidligere publicerede Un- 
dersøgelser af samme Art fremgaar, at et over saltere Vand 
flydende ferskere Overfladelag besidder en mærkelig Evne 
til meget længe at holde sig forholdsvis ublandet, saaledes 
at den fra Kysterne liidrørende Fortynding i Overfladen 
ofte kan spores 30 til 40 Mile tilkavs, medens man ved 
Hunden i Nærheden af Land ja endog i Fjordene kan finde 
meget saltkoldigt Vand. Denne Eiendommelighed træder 
meget skarpt frem i •Observ^tionsrækken No. 1 til 8. 1 da 
Saltgehalten her fra Overfladen til 1 Favus (2 Meters) Dyb 
tiltager med over 1 °/o, medens den siden temmelig jevnt 
voxer med kun 0.06 °/ 0 for hver Favns Tilvæxt af Dybden. 
De paa Spitsbergens Banker tagne Observationer viser da 
ogsaa ganske rigtigt. at Våndet der paa Bunden i nogen 
Afstand fra Land besidder en Saltstyrke. som paa sine 
Steder endog gaar op til over 3.50 °/o- 
Paa begge Sider af den midt efter det norske Hav 
flydende salte Overfladestrøm synker Saltgehalten paa den 
ene Side mod den norske Kyst og paa den anden Side 
mod den østgrønlandske Polarstrøm. en Synkning. som paa 
Grund a f de herskende Strømforholde hverken er jevn 
eller regelmæssig. Saaledes fly der der fra Nordsøen langs 
Norges Vestkyst i nordlig Retning en lidet saltkoldig Over- 
fladestrøm, som ved den 62de Breddegrad, hvor Kysten hoier 
nordostover, forlader denne, og fortsætter fremdeles i nord- 
lig Retning, indtil dens Virkningcf i omtrent 40 Miles 
Afstand ifra «Land efterkaanden taker sig. En mindre ud- 
præget lignende Kyststrom gaar fra ^ esttjordeu udover i 
sydvestlig Retning og naar ligeledes temmelig langt tilkavs. 
førend dens Indflydelse paa Saltgehalten i Overfladevandet 
fuldstændig forsvinder. Mellem disse Kyststrømme kaster 
der sig en smal Arm af det saltere Atlanterhavs vand for- 
holdsvis nær ind under Land, hvor den meget skarpt 
1 Disse Observationer kunne desuden ogsna tjene som Bevis for 
Fortrinlighedeu af den af Ekman angivne Vanilhenter. som ved denne 
Leilighed benyttedes. 
current flows in a north-easterly direction, as far north 
almost as Beeren Eiland. where it divides into two arms, 
one running east into Barents' Sea, and the other in a 
north-westerly direction past the west coast of Spitzbergen, 
In the branch flowing east, the amount of salt diminishes 
very slowly .and gradually down to 3.50 per cent, at the 
limit of the region explored by the Expedition, whereas in 
that running north it rapidly sinks even below 3.45 per 
cent, rising, however, on the north-western coast of Spitz- 
bergen a little above 3.45 per cent. 
This low percentage of saft in the surface-water west 
of Spitzbergen is. however, in all probability the result of 
summer heat, vast quantities of freshwater pouring down 
to the sea at that season of the year from the immense 
glaciers and snow-flelds of that group of islands. 
The effect of such an influx of fresh water from the 
coast is. however, mostly confined to a very trifling depth, 
the result of the observations taken on the Expedition, and 
of others in connexion with the same subject previously 
•published, being to show, inter alia, that freshwater possesses 
the remarkable property of floating on salt water for some 
considerable time in a comparatively unmixed state, so 
that its influence may be frequently traced at a distance 
of from 30 to 40 geographical miles off shore, whereas the 
bottom-water .close in shore, nay that of friths and estu- 
aries even, often contains a very large proportion of salt. 
This peculiar feature was strikingly instanced in the series 
of observations from No. I to 8. 1 the amount of salt at 
the depth of 1 fathom (2 metres) exceeding that at the 
surface by 1 per cent, whereas the subsequent increase 
with the depth did not amount to more than 0.06 per cent 
for every fathom. The observations taken on the banks 
of Spitzbergen show that the maximum percentage of salt 
in the bottom-water some distance from land, in certain 
localities, reaches 3.50. 
On either side of the salt surface-current flowing through 
the medial portion of the Norwegian Sea, the amount of salt 
diminishes, eastward in the direction of the Norwegian coast 
and westward in the direction of the Arctic current oft 
East Greenland; but tliis diminution, owing to the effect 
of ocean currents, is however anything but regular and 
gradual. Thus, for instance, a surface-current, with a low 
percentage of salt, flows from the North Sea in a north- 
erly direction along the west coast of Norway, from which 
it diverges near the 62nd parallel ol latitude, continuing 
on. still in a northerly direction, till, about 46 geograph- 
ical miles from land, its influence gradually ceases to 
be felt. Another coastal current, more limited in extent, 
flows from the Vestfjord in a south-westerly direction, 
its influence on the amount of salt in the surtace- 
water being likewise perceptible comparatively far out at 
sea. Between these coastal currents runs a narrow arm 
1 These observations likewise attest the excellence of Ekman s 
apparatus for collecting sea-water, which was used on this occasion. 
10 
