9 research outputs found
Oceanographic Problems of the Arctic Ocean
General physical, biological and geological characteristics of the Arctic Ocean are known, but circulation requires investigation. Only here does it occur to considerable depths without a significant supply of energy from local winds. Influence on it of bottom topography is confirmed by knowledge of the recently discovered Lomonosov Ridge, dividing the Basin in two. Advantages of this area for oceanographic study are the comparatively (to other oceans) small size, and a working platform provided by the ice; need is stated for aircraft designed specifically for arctic oceanography
The influence of vertical and lateral turbulence on the characteristics of the waters at mid-depths
In a previous paper (Iselin 1936) the writer considered that the temperature and salinity of the main thermocline layer (400â1200 meters) in the Sargasso Sea were mainly determined by vertical turbulence. At that time special significance was attached to the very consistent temperatureâsalinity correlation at midâlatitude stations from the western North Atlantic. Thus, when plotted on a temperatureâsalinity diagram, the great majority of the modern observations fell along a narrow and slightly curving path connecting the characteristics of the superficial layer with those of deep water. The fact that in the main thermocline the temperatureâsalinity correlation was somewhat fresher than a pure mixture of deep water and surfaceâwater was thought to result from the inflow of relatively large volumes of subantarctic intermediate water which appeared to enter the Sargasso Sea in two ways. First, this lowâsalinity layer seemed to penetrate northward across the Northern Equatorial Current at midâdepths and second, a considerable volume of it was observed leaving the Florida Straits to be, discharged into the Sargasso Sea along the southern edge of the Gulf Stream. In short, lt was considered that the negative salinityâanomalies brought to the Sargasso Sea by the subantarctic intermediate layer more than counteracted the positive anomalies arriving at similar depths from the westward flow of water carrying Mediterranean characteristics