Water-clarity data were gathered with a 

 26-cm Secchi disk and a prototype transmissom- 

 eter-depth sensor coupled to an x-y recorder. 

 Calibration of the transmissometer was often 

 problematical, particularly during the later 

 part of the cruise when temperatures were 

 colder. Bottom photographs were taken at 

 selected stations in black and white and color. 

 These photographs were used to supplement 

 water clarity and sediment data. 



Splits of four samples were frozen im- 

 mediately after collection and sent to the U.S. 

 Geological Survey's Organic Geochemistry 

 Laboratory in Denver, for analysis of hydro- 

 carbon content. The analyses for mercury, 

 arsenic, copper, lead, and zinc were made on 

 air-dried splits, using techniques outlined by 

 Ward and others (1963), Vaughn and Mc- 

 Carthy (1964), and Ward and others (1969). 

 The detection limit of these techniques is 0.010 

 parts per million (ppm) for mercury, 10 ppm 

 for arsenic, and 5 ppm for copper, lead, and 

 zinc. 



RESULTS AND DATA 



Currents 



Near-bottom currents during September and 

 October 1970 were dominated by northeast- 

 southwest components of low to moderate 

 velocities (fig. 2 and table \, appendix A). 

 Bottom-current measurements in the northern 

 and eastern sections of the study area, all in 

 water depths less than 30 meters, showed a 

 considerable range in velocity and direction. 

 The data were not synoptic, because the ob- 

 servations were spread over a 23-day period. 

 Consequently, some of the variability may be 

 due to temporal and transient changes in the 

 current regime. 



Although many of the bottom photos were 

 clouded by particulate matter, almost all re- 

 vealed the absence of current- related features 

 (fig. 3a). The exception was station 87, north- 

 east of Cape Lisbume, where a current parallel 

 to shore was indicated by northwest-trending 

 ripple marks (fig. 3b). 



On the northwest-southeast transect from 

 stations 49 through 60 a central region of 

 strong northward flow was bordered inshore 

 and offshore by regions with southward cur- 

 rents. Velocities on this section, from 0.05 to 

 0.35 knots, were strongest to the north. 



An inshore southward flow and an offshore 

 northward flow were also found by Fleming 

 and Heggarty (1966) at 20 meters in this same 

 general area in August 1960. The velocities 

 they recorded (0.1-0.7 knots) were generally 

 higher than those reported here. These dis- 

 crepancies may be partly due to differences in 

 current meters and in depth of measurements. 

 They used an Ekman-type meter which was 

 placed farther above the bottom than our 

 meter. 



Currents, both at 10 meters and near the 

 bottom trended with the wind vectors (Ingham 

 and Rutland, this Oceanographic Report, figs. 

 32 and 75) at most stations; this relationship 

 appeared strongest for the 10-meter measure- 

 ments, and was most evident for stations 54 

 through 60 (figs. 1 and 2). At stations 54 and 

 55, weak winds were accompanied by moderate 

 to strong northward 10-meter and bottom cur- 

 rents (0.15-0.35 knots). Strong northeasterly 

 winds deflected the 10-meter current to the 

 west at stations 59 and 60. Near-bottom cur- 

 rents were deflected to a lesser degree at sta- 

 tion 59 and little or not at all at station 60. 



Tiirhidity 



Water-clarity data at 10 meters were virtually 

 the same as surface values at individual sta- 

 tions and are more reliable instrument read- 

 ings. Therefore, the 10-meter values were used 

 for plotting purposes and will be considered 

 representative of the turbidity distribution in 

 the upper 10 meters of the water column. The 

 data are assumed to be synoptic, although some 

 observed differences probably reflect temporal 

 variations during the 25-day period of observa- 

 tion. 



Light-transmission values at 10 meters in- 

 dicate a northwestward increase in water 

 clarity (fig. 4). The clearer waters were as- 

 sociated with higher salinity values and the 

 edge of the pack ice (see Ingham and Rutland, 

 this Oceanographic Report, figs. 6 and 11). 

 Water was more turbid and less saline to the 

 south and in the shallower parts of the bight 

 between Cape Lisburne and Icy Cape. 



Bottom photos in the region of higher sur- 

 face turbidity are somewhat fogged by par- 

 ticulate matter (fig. 3), although large objects 

 such as ripples and starfish are discernible. 

 Turbidity generally showed a pronounced in- 



88 



