esh water were formed on the
floes. On June 20th the thickness was the same, although the melting on
the surface had now increased considerably. On July 4th the thickness
was 2.57 metres. On July 10th I was amazed to find that the ice had
increased to 2.76 metres, notwithstanding that it would now diminish
several centimetres daily from surface melting. I bored in many places,
but found it everywhere the same--a thin, somewhat loose ice mass lay
under the old floe. I first thought it was a thin ice-floe that had
got pushed under, but subsequently discovered that it was actually
a new formation of fresh-water ice on the lower side of the old ice,
due to the layer of fresh water of about 9 feet 9 inches (3 metres)
in depth, formed by the melting of the snow on the ice. Owing to
its lightness this warm fresh water floated on the salt sea-water,
which was at a temperature of about -1.5 deg. C. on its surface. Thus
by contact with the colder sea-water the fresh water became cooler,
and so a thick crust of ice was formed on the fresh water, where it
came in contact with the salt water lying underneath it. It was this
ice crust, then, that augmented the thickness of the ice on its under
side. Later on in the summer, however, the ice diminished somewhat,
owing to melting on the surface. On July 23d the old ice was only
2.33 metres, and with the newly formed layer 2.49 metres. On August
10th the thickness of the old ice had decreased to 1.94 metres,
and together the aggregate thickness to 3.17 metres. On August
22d the old ice was 1.86 metres, and the aggregate thickness 3.06
metres. On September 3d the aggregate thickness was 2.02 metres,
and on September 30th 1.98 metres. On October 3d it was the same;
the thickness of the old ice was then 1.75 metres. On October 12th
the aggregate thickness was 2.08 metres, while the old ice was 1.8
metres. On November 10th it was still about the same, with only a
slight tendency to increase. Further on, in November and in December,
it increased quite slowly. On December 11th the aggregate thickness
reached 2.11 metres. On January 3d, 1895, 2.32 metres; January 10th,
2.48 metres; February 6th, 2.59 metres. Hence it will be seen that
the ice does not attain any enormous thickness by direct freezing. The
packing caused by pressure can, however, produce blocks and floes of
a very different size. It often happens that the floes get shoved in
under each other in several layers, and are frozen toget