sound propagation, the generation of turbulence in midocean 

 regions, and the dynamics of intense weather systems that are 

 generated or intensified along these fronts. 



The absorption of acoustical energy in seawater affects the 

 performance of all underwater acoustic systems, but factors of 

 chemical composition and physical processes affecting sound 

 absorption are only partially understood. Recent research has 

 permitted the development of a computer simulation of sound 

 absorption in seawater, and a newly developed polarographic 

 technique has furnished new insight into the oxidation potential of 

 seawater. This last accomplishment is important in understanding 

 the corrosion of material by seawater as well as in furthering the 

 development of underwater acoustic systems. 



Polar Ocean Studies 



Although the polar oceans are the source of most of the 

 intermediate and deep waters in the world ocean, the processes 

 active in them have been difficult to observe. As polar areas also 

 have major significance for atmospheric circulation and climate 

 control, oceanographers and meteorologists have combined forces to 

 learn more about this closely coupled ocean-atmosphere system. 



A series of experiments begun in 1971 as part of the Arctic Ice 

 Dynamics Joint Experiments (AIDJEX) has resulted in the formation 

 of scale models that describe the thermodynamics of the growth and 

 decay of sea ice, the distribution of sea ice, the circulation of the 

 Arctic Ocean as it impinges on sea ice, and the formulation of a 

 constitutive numerical model of sea ice. Future plans call for a 

 multiagency joint effort involving some 18 U.S. universities and 

 research centers and scientists from Canada, Japan, and Denmark. 

 The goal of this program is to provide existing atmospheric 

 predictive models with additional information on the Arctic polar 

 region and its influence on the weather and climate. An 

 understanding of the icepack under pressure and its variabilities 

 depending upon atmospheric conditions will hopefully provide data 

 for designing hulls for trans-Arctic-Ocean transports. 



Research related to furthering knowledge of ice behavior and the 

 ability to predict it was conducted by the Navy during the FY '73-74 

 period with a multiplatform approach on the East Greenland and 

 Bering marginal sea ice zones. 



A polar experiment (POLEX) is being planned in conjunction with 

 AIDJEX, and is specifically directed to the study of heat sinks in 

 northern polar regions, their influence on the global atmospheric 

 circulation and, hence, on weather and climate variations in the 

 temperate zone. This experiment is part of the U.S.-U.S.S.R. 



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