Some observations made in North-Greenland 1923. 45 
good picture of the facts, viz. a retraction, which accelerates propor- 
tional to the diminution of thickness of the ice. 
On the basis of comparisons made on the spot between my drawings 
from 1897 and the actual circumstances in 1923 I have got the im- 
pression on the whole, that much less there is a question of melting 
edgewise than of a general diminution in thickness of the ice. Still this 
is perhaps regarding the glaciers only, whereas — at all events partly 
— other circumstances prevail regarding the "mother-ice” beyond 
(see later). 
As already mentioned the front edge of the southern glacier was 
quite thin — some em only — and it seemed to be quite “dead”. The 
moraine which I have indicated on the sketches a little inside the edge 
of the ice was quite fresh and consisted of as well fine as rougher material: 
medium sized stones lay scattered all round on the ice, whereas the 
finer material formed a sharptopped mound up to 1 m high. Immediate 
behind this moraine there was a traverse crack in the glacier. Although 
the crack was closed at the moment, the moraine material must have 
proceeded from it. The crack continued a little distance to the south 
from the moraine — some 20 or 30m perhaps. I suppose that the ex- 
istence of this moraine is due to the presence of a cup-shaped cavity 
in the ground beneath, a cavity with high and firm limitation to the 
east, which will force the ice and the scoured off material upwards. 
I should be apt to suppose that the ice above the crack, e. i. west of 
same, partly has sidemovement northward, whereas the ice on the 
eastside, as mentioned, seems “dead’’. Besides I presume, that the 
moraine is identical with the gravel heap, which Pjetursson mentions 
in M.0.G. XIV p.294 (at the bottom). 
The glaciers were perfectly snowbare. The summer 1923 has been 
unusually dry, sunny and warm, and the preceding winter was extremely 
deficient in snow; for that reason the melting has passed beyond the 
usual limits everywhere. Regarding the season the Rode-elv as well as 
its tributary affluents from the glaciers were highly abounding with 
water and difficult to pass. The surface of the southernmost glacier 
was slightly granulous or porous because of the sun-irradiation, and it 
was easy to go upon; the incline was nowhere so great that I could 
not walk upon the glacier in usual european boots without sliding. In 
numerous small cracks the water purled down the surface. In short 
the condition of the glacier was so, that anybody, who might have 
wanted to undertake scientific investigations, would have had excellent 
opportunity to do so. Unfortunately I had got no time for the tempting 
task: to level — even quite roughly — the surface of the glacier. 
When afterwards traversing the glacier to the south a short distance 
