Oceanographic Observations in the Kara and 

 Eastern Barents Seas 



INTRODUCTION 



The 1967 Eastwind Arctic Survey was con- 

 ducted after an attempt to circumnavigate the 

 Arctic Ocean had to be discontinued. Consoli- 

 dated pack ice up to thirty feet in thickness 

 in the area of latitude 81°27' N. and longitude 

 77°58' E. prevented passage to the north of 

 Severnaya Zemlya. Consequently an alternative 

 Survey of the Kara and eastern Barents Seas 

 was performed. 



The Eastwind Arctic Survey is the second 

 survey conducted in the area of Kara and 

 Barents Seas aboard a U.S. Coast Guard vessel. 

 The first was aboard CGC NORTHWIND 

 (WAGE 282) in 1965. This cruise was con- 

 ducted by the Naval Oceanographic Office, the 

 results of which appear in a report by D. 

 Milligan (in press). 



The survey was begun on 31 August and 

 completed on 22 September 1967. Objectives of 

 the survey were to gain a greater general 

 knowledge of the physical, chemical and bio- 

 logical characteristics of the water masses of 

 the Kara and eastern Barents Seas, and to 

 conduct bathymetric and limited geological sur- 

 veys of the area. 



Data acquired includes Nansen casts and 

 bathythermograph observations at 125 hydro- 

 grhapic stations; 40 in the Kara Sea, 82 in 

 the Barents Sea and 3 in the Norwegian Sea. 

 Station Locations are shown in Figure 1. Also 

 obtained were 27 bottom samples utilizing a 

 Phleger corer with a three foot barrel and 11 

 horizontal surface plankton tows with a 0.5 

 meter, #20 mesh net. Continuous bathymetric 

 profiling was conducted throughout the survey 

 area. Five hundred thirty-two weather observa- 

 tions were taken at intervals of three hours and 

 266 at intervals of six hours. Seventy two suc- 

 cessful radiosonde observations were taken to 

 obtain information on the upper air. Con- 



tinuous observations of carbon dioxide and 

 ozone content were also made. 



DATA ANALYSIS AND PRESENTATION 



A portion of the data was processed with 

 the aid of a Digital Equipment Corporation 

 PDP-5 computer. This includes correction of 

 the reversing thermometers, and interpolation 

 of temperature and salinity at specified depths. 

 The processed data were checked for accuracy, 

 coded and forwarded to the National Ocean- 

 ographic Data Center. 



Presented herein are figures displaying the 

 horizontal isopleths of temperature and salinity. 

 Figures 2 to 11; the vertical distribution of 

 temperature, salinity, and oxygen, Figures 12 

 to 59 ; and the temperature vs. salinity plots at 

 selected stations, Figures 60 to 81. 



PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF 

 KARA AND EASTERN BARENTS SEA 



The Kara Sea Basin is a relatively closed, 

 shallow basin with a volume of approximately 

 1.04xl03km\ The Ob, Yenisy, Pechora and 

 lesser rivers discharge approximately 1.10 X 

 lO'^km'* of fresh water into the basin annually 

 (Milligan, in press). Consequently a large pro- 

 portion of the water mass in the Kara Sea is of 

 low salinity. 



Surface salinities of slightly less than 9%o 

 were observed in the proximity of the mouth of 

 the Yenisy River. At only two stations in the 

 Kara Sea did the value of surface salinity 

 exceed 32%o. As might be expected, the ex- 

 tremely low salinity water is confined to the 

 surface layers, that is, the upper 25m. 



Vertical sections of salinity across the north- 

 ern boundary of the Kara Sea from the tip of 

 Novaya Zemlya to Oa Izestig Tsik indicate the 

 region of mixing of the fresh water outflow 

 from the rivers is confined to a relatively small 



