The record-union., 1897-06-07
THE DIATOMs.
How Plant Guided Nansen Toward
the Pole on His Expedition.

1t is interesting to record the impor-
tant part taken by the microscopic Plant S
called diatoms, in guiding Nansen to-
ward the North Pole. Diatoms are ex-
cesSively minute single-celled forms of
plant life, which, under the microscope
exhibit very characteristic and some
times beautiful forms and markings
They are universally distributed over
the globe, in fresh as we'll as salt water
but are particularly abundant in the
polar seas, being, indeed, the only form
of vegetable life to be found in high lat
itudes. Individual diatoms are too
small to be visible, but they congregate
in such masses in polar seas as to give
the sides of icebergs the appearance of
being stained with iron rust; and their
silicious shells are rained down upon
the bottoms of the ocean to form a fine
sand which ultimately becomes harden
ed into flinty rock.
But in spite of the universal distribu-
ton of diatoms as q class, there are
certain species Of the tiny plants that
are of very restricted habitat. A con-
siderable number for example, which
are easily recognized under the micro
scope, have until recent years been sup
posed to be confined exclusively to the
seas about Behring Straits. But when
NanSen made his trip across Greenland
five years ago he collected dust from
the ice foes of the eastern shore of that
island, which, on being subjected to mi
croScopic analysts after his return by
Professor Cleve of Upsala, was found
to contain numerous species of diatoms.
The conclusion seemed unavoidable
that there must be open-sea connection
between these two regions. Darwin
had, indeed, while on his famous sea
voyage with Captain Fitzroy, collect
ed diatoms in dust that fell from the
air on shipboard in mid-ocean: but
Nansens specimens We're collected in
situations that left no doubt of their
having been washed up by the current,
not deposited from the air. Hence he
inferred that there must be an ocean
current which had conveyed the di-
atoms, on their ice raft, from Siberia
to Eastern Greenland.
OF course there were other cIews
that pointed in the same direction, but
perhaps no other single bit of evidence
was SO influential as that furnished by
the microspic diatoms in giving Nan
sen that faith in a polar current which
his subsequent experience in the Fran
so fully justified. This current, as
everybody knows now since hansen
and the Fran have returned, flows to
the northeast along the coast of Eu-
rope, is DETECTED to the northwest. and
sweeping across the polar region, flows
as return current along the eastern
shore of Greenland and on to the south
1t was this current which had swept
the diatoms to the locality where Nam
sen found them, and which came so
near floating the Fran to it's desired
destination beneath the pole
1t would appear that this great cur
rent which surges across the polar sea-
whise existence few besides Nansen
himself were disposed to credit until
now, is really a continuation of that
current which owes it's existence, it is
believed, to the trade winds that sweep
the tropics. So we are presented with
the curious paradox, that the motive
power which drove the helpless Fran
cased in an almost boundless mass of
ice, through the frigid polar sea, was
really the torrid wind blowing along
the equator
Who would have predicted that a mi
croscopic plant would be the chief
guide post, and a tropical wind the mo-
tor in an all but successful assault up
on the polar stronghold?