of variation stronger than that revealed by the ture at Point Hope and Point Barrow occurring 

 vector average winds (table 1), as is to be in July and August. The seasonal low tempera- 

 expected. The most prevalent winds in all ture at Point Barrow occurred in February, 1 

 months in both areas are E-NE except for month later than at Point Hope. The mean tem- 

 SW winds during July off Icy Cape. Seasonal perature was lower at Point Barrow than at 

 variation in the wind field is more pronounced Point Hope during all months by an amount 

 in the third and fourth most prevalent direc- ranging from 2 to 12 F° (1.1 to 6.7 C°). 

 tions (octants) where W-SW winds appear Oceanography 



more frequently during the summer months. Some past oceanographic investigations of 



This pattern was more pronounced at Point the eastern Chukchi Sea have included a few 



Barrow than off Icy Cape. observations in the Cape Lisburne-Icy Cape 



area, but no comprehensive survey had been 



Table 5.— Mean monthly percent frequency of observed attempted there prior to WEBSEC-70. How- 



winds in the four most Prevalent octants at Point ^^^ ^^^^^^^^ ^^ ^^^^.^^^ ^^^ detailed 



Barrow. Values from charts m the Marine Climatic . . . 



Atlas of the World-Vol. VI Arctic Ocean (U.S. enough to yield a general description of the 



Navy, 1963). eastern Chukchi Sea during the summer and 



early fall. 



prevalent Sauer, et al. (1954), described water masses 



Month octant Second Third Fourth found in the eastem Chukchi Sea (65-73° N, 



Jan. __ E 22 NE 19 SW 11 N 10 164-169° W) in the summer of 1949. The 



Feb. -_ E 21 NE 20 W 17 SW 10 temperature and salinity data used for classi- 



Mar. __ NE 31 E 18 N 10 SW 9 fication of the water masses were obtained 



Apr. __ NE 27 E 22 N 11 S 9 by bathythermograph and titration of water 



May _, NE 35 E 29 N 7 SE 6 samples, both means yielding data of lower 



June __ E 28 NE 24 SW 13 W 10 ■ • j ii_ • 



July NE 21 E 20 SW 16 W 10 precision and accuracy than is common m more 



Aug. -_ E 23 NE 21 SW 12 W 11 recent investigations. The water masses they 



Sept. __ E 26 NE 23 SE 10 N 10 identified in the vicinity of Cape Lisburne-Icy 



Oct. __ NE 27 E 23 SE 13 S 12 Cape were Alaskan Coastal Water (approx. 



Nov. __ NE 33 E 21 s 10 SE 9 > 6.6° C, <30.5%o) occupying the entire water 



Dec. ^_ NE 30 E 18 SW 9 W 9 , j., j.- . ■, t ^ ■.• . 



column near the continent, and Intermediate 



Water (approx. 4-6.3° C, 30.6-32.2%o) found 



Table 4.— Mean monthly percent frequency of observed "ear bottom near the continent and at the sur- 



v?inds in the four most prevalent octants off Icy face farther north. As the authors pointed out. 



Cape (shipboard observations). Values from charts the water mass classifications may be valid in a 



in the Marine Climatic Atlas of the World-Vol. VI particular area for the summer season only. 



Arctic Ocean (U.S. Navy, 1963). ttt , i -i , ,. a j 



Water masses were described by Aagaard 



Most (1964) based on temperature and salinity data 



„„ ,. . . c: ^ r,^ ,. ^ ... collected in the eastern Chukchi Sea in October 



Month octant Second Third Fourth 



1962. He found "Alaskan coastal water" 



Jan. (>1° C, <31%o) to occupy the surface layer 



e . ^g^j, ^-^^ continent and a layer of "warm sub- 

 Apr. -I""I"~I""~"'~"~~"~"""""" I surface water" (>2.0° C, 31.5-32.4%o) be- 

 May __ E 36 NE 28 SE 8 W 7 neath it. Both of these masses were found as 

 June __ E 28 W 12 SE 11 s 10 far north as Point Hope, but northerly winds 

 July __ SW 21 NE 20 N 15 E 13 apparently blocked the flow of Alaskan coastal 

 S.;t-'^S l?s Z\l Z" water into the Cape Llsburne Icy cape area. 

 Oct. __ NE 54 E 20 N 10 SE 6 Near the bottom in the central and northeast- 

 Nov. __ NE 58 E 12 N 8 W 6 ern Chukchi Sea, he found a water mass char- 

 Dec __ NE 59 E 22 SW 7 N 6 acterized by salinity greater than 32.9%o, 



■ temperature greater than 1° C, and low con- 

 Mean monthly surface air temperature (table centrations of dissolved oxygen (dov^m to 26 



1) varied seasonally with the highest tempera- percent saturation). With the data available to 



3 



