Note 156 — Chapter XXXVI · THE NORTH EAST PASSAGE — NORDENSKIÖLD — WIGGINS — DE LONG

Sir Fridtjof Nansen, in an Appendix to his Through Siberia, has lately made a record of all voyages across the Kara Sea from the voyage of Burrough in 1556 to the present day, with notes on the state of the ice in each year. His conclusion is that in the great majority of years it is possible to reach the Siberian rivers through the Kara Sea, though there are great variations in the quantity of ice in different years. He thinks it very improbable that these differences are caused by winds and sea currents from the north. His conclusion is that the ice that is met with is formed in the Kara Sea itself, and that the differences of ice conditions are caused by differences in the winters. In a cold winter, with little precipitation, more ice will be formed, and little ice will melt in a cold spring and summer. When there is a warm winter and heavy snow-fall succeeded by a warm spring and summer, the melting of the ice will proceed rapidly, and there will be a fairly ice-free Kara Sea. Nansen’s remarks on the navigation of the Kara Sea are extremely valuable, based on the most complete information and long experience of ice conditions.