“However small may be the value we assign to the winds in explanation of the deviation in the Tegetthoff’s course, it is at any rate impossible to ascribe those phenomena to the influence of the coast formation. We must, therefore, assume either, that the different directions of the wind produce a constant circulation of the ice in the sea to the north of 79°; or that currents known to exist in this and contiguous seas cannot be excluded from the small part of the ocean lying between Novaya Zemlya and Franz-Josef Land.”
From these and other grounds the Vice-Admiral Baron von Wüllersdorf draws the following conclusions:—
“It is probable that there exists a sea-current in the seas between Novaya Zemlya and Franz-Josef Land; that at any rate, its existence cannot positively be denied, although the prevailing winds may produce similar phenomena.
“That there is a great probability that the Ocean stretches far to the north and east beyond the eastern end of Novaya Zemlya.”
SOUNDING IN THE FROZEN OCEAN.
10. During the summer Orel took soundings of the depth of the sea, which he was prevented from continuing in the winter by the frost. These show its shallowness on the north of Novaya Zemlya, especially towards Franz-Josef Land. A bank, over which we drifted in the summer of 1873, and which we explored with a drag-net, was the principal source of the collection of marine fauna, which we shall speak of in a later chapter. These soundings also enabled Orel to prove the small increase of the temperature of the sea at any considerable depth. He used in his experiments the maximum and minimum thermometer of Casella. The specimens we collected showed, that the bottom of the sea consists of layers of mud and shells. The soundings are exhibited in the following table:—
| Time. | Metres. | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| July | 20 | 1872 | 400 |
| ” | 28 | ” | 115 |
| ” | 31 | ” | 250 |
| Aug. | 3 | ” | 130 |
| ” | 4 | ” | 80 |
| ” | 22 | ” | 36 |
| ” | 30 | ” | 170 |
| Sept. | 16 | ” | 100 |
| ” | 25 | ” | 90 |
| ” | 29 | ” | 85 |
| ” | 30 | ” | 190 |
| Oct. | 2 | ” | 170 |
| ” | 9 | ” | 450 |
| Nov. | 14 | ” | 345 |
| Jan. | 28 | 1873 | 510 |
| Mar. | 27 | ” | 450 |
| April | 28 | ” | 350 |
| May | 17 | ” | 230 |
| ” | 18 | ” | 187 |
| ” | 19 | ” | 172 |
| ” | 20 | ” | 163 |
| ” | 21 | ” | 138 |
| ” | 22 | ” | 186 |
| ” | 23 | ” | 162 |
| ” | 25 | ” | 177 |
| ” | 25 | ” | 182 |
| ” | 26 | ” | 186 |
| ” | 27 | ” | 249 |
| ” | 28 | ” | 251 |
| ” | 29 | ” | 254 |
| ” | 30 | ” | 253 |
| ” | 31 | ” | 256 |
| June | 1 | ” | 238 |
| ” | 2 | ” | 210 |
| ” | 3 | ” | 183 |
| ” | 4 | ” | 207 |
| ” | 5 | ” | 200 |
| ” | 6 | ” | 198 |
| ” | 7 | ” | 190 |
| ” | 8 | ” | 215 |
| ” | 9 | ” | 231 |
| ” | 10 | ” | 203 |
| ” | 11 | ” | 240 |
| ” | 12 | ” | 218 |
| ” | 13 | ” | 211 |
| ” | 14 | ” | 235 |
| ” | 15 | ” | 161 |
| ” | 16 | ” | 184 |
| ” | 17 | ” | 222 |
| ” | 18 | ” | 200 |
| ” | 19 | ” | 186 |
| ” | 20 | ” | 220 |
| ” | 21 | ” | 195 |
| ” | 22 | ” | 200 |
| ” | 23 | ” | 169 |
| ” | 24 | ” | 178 |
| ” | 25 | ” | 195 |
| ” | 26 | ” | 220 |
| ” | 27 | ” | 227 |
| ” | 28 | ” | 233 |
| ” | 29 | ” | 240 |
| ” | 30 | ” | 240 |
| July | 1 | ” | 240 |
| ” | 3 | ” | 245 |
| ” | 4 | ” | 250 |
| ” | 5 | ” | 235 |
| ” | 6 | ” | 235 |
| ” | 7 | ” | 274 |
| ” | 8 | ” | 266 |
| ” | 9 | ” | 250 |
| ” | 10 | ” | 250 |
| ” | 11 | ” | 236 |
| ” | 12 | ” | 265 |
| ” | 13 | ” | 247 |
| ” | 14 | ” | 215 |
| ” | 15 | ” | 195 |
| ” | 16 | ” | 184 |
| ” | 17 | ” | 200 |
| ” | 18 | ” | 240 |
| ” | 19 | ” | 232 |
| ” | 20 | ” | 231 |
| ” | 21 | ” | 231 |
| ” | 22 | ” | 226 |
| ” | 23 | ” | 198 |
| ” | 24 | ” | 205 |
| ” | 25 | ” | 216 |
| ” | 26 | ” | 218 |
| ” | 27 | ” | 218 |
| ” | 28 | ” | 236 |
| ” | 29 | ” | 260 |
| ” | 30 | ” | 236 |
| ” | 31 | ” | 234 |
| Aug. | 1 | ” | 225 |
| ” | 2 | ” | 219 |
| ” | 3 | ” | 173 |
| ” | 4 | ” | 188 |
| ” | 5 | ” | 210 |
| ” | 6 | ” | 107 |
| ” | 7 | ” | 216 |
| ” | 8 | ” | 184 |
| ” | 9 | ” | 244 |
| ” | 10 | ” | 225 |
| ” | 11 | ” | 209 |
| ” | 12 | ” | 214 |
| ” | 13 | ” | 189 |
| ” | 14 | ” | 177 |
| ” | 15 | ” | 170 |
| ” | 16 | ” | 170 |
| ” | 17 | ” | 174 |
| ” | 18 | ” | 148 |
| ” | 19 | ” | 152 |
| ” | 20 | ” | 138 |
| ” | 21 | ” | 130 |
| ” | 22 | ” | 131 |
| ” | 23 | ” | 128 |
| ” | 24 | ” | 145 |
| ” | 25 | ” | 140 |
| ” | 26 | ” | 185 |
| ” | 27 | ” | 219 |
| ” | 28 | ” | 180 |
| ” | 29 | ” | 132 |
| ” | 30 | ” | 211 |
| ” | 31 | ” | 197 |
| Sept. | 1 | ” | 260 |
| ” | 2 | ” | 142 |
| ” | 3 | ” | 212 |
| ” | 4 | ” | 215 |
| ” | 5 | ” | 178 |
| ” | 6 | ” | 188 |
| ” | 7 | ” | 204 |
| ” | 8 | ” | 250 |
| ” | 9 | ” | 240 |
| ” | 10 | ” | 218 |
| ” | 11 | ” | 168 |
| ” | 12 | ” | 127 |
| ” | 13 | ” | 132 |
| ” | 14 | ” | 137 |
| ” | 15 | ” | 111 |
| ” | 16 | ” | 134 |
| ” | 17 | ” | 178 |
| ” | 18 | ” | 175 |
| ” | 19 | ” | 275 |
| ” | 20 | ” | 300 |
| ” | 21 | ” | 220 |
| ” | 22 | ” | 188 |
| ” | 24 | ” | 237 |
| ” | 25 | ” | 325 |
| Oct. | 28 | ” | 165 |
| ” | 31 | ” | 210 |