Oceanographic Survey of the Gulf of Anadyr 



2-16 August 1970 



Gary L. Hufford ' and David M. Husby ^ 



INTRODUCTION 



The Gulf of Anadyr has been hypothesized 

 as a possible source of Bering Sea Deep Shelf 

 Water (-1.7 to 0.0°C, 32.3 to SB.QO/^jo), found 

 in the northern Bering Sea and Bering Strait 

 (Ratmanov, 1937; Arsen'yev, 1967). To deter- 

 mine if the Gulf of Anadyr is the source, the 

 Coast Guard Oceanographic Unit conducted an 

 investigation of the Gulf from the icebreaker 

 USCGC NORTHWIND (WAGE 282) during 

 August 1970. This report contains the ocean- 

 ographic data and preliminary analysis from 

 that cruise. 



METHODS 



The USCGC NORTHWIND operated in the 

 Gulf of Anadyr from 2 August through 16 

 August 1970. A total of 34 oceanographic sta- 

 tions were occupied in water depths less than 

 100 meters (figs. 1 and 2). At each station, 

 Nansen bottle casts were made to obtain meas- 

 urements of temperature and water samples 

 for the determination of salinity, dissolved 

 oxygen, and inorganic nutrients. At five of 

 these stations, anchored current meter obser- 

 vations were also made for periods of at least 

 25 hours. 



Water temperature was measured with 

 paired deep-sea reversing thermometers. Salin- 

 ity was determined using a Bissett-Berman 

 Model 6220 inductive salinometer. The con- 

 ductivity values obtained were converted to 



' U.S. Coast Guard Oceanographic Unit, Building 

 159-E, Washington Navy Yard, Washington. D.C. 

 20390. 



- U.S. Coast Guard Oceanographic Unit. Present ad- 

 dress: Department of Oceanography, University of 

 Washington, Seatle, Wash. 98105. 



salinity by use of the International Oceano- 

 graphic Tables published jointly by UNESCO 

 and the National Institute of Oceanography of 

 Great Britain (UNESCO, 1966). The dissolved 

 oxygen content was determined by a modified 

 Winkler method using a starch indicator to 

 determine the titration endpoint. 



Two samples of sea water were drawn from 

 each Nansen bottle into 125 ml polyethylene 

 bottles and immediately frozen in the ship's 

 freezer. The frozen samples were consigned to 

 the Department of Oceanography, University 

 of Washington, for determination of concen- 

 trations of inorganic phosphate, nitrate, nitrite, 

 and silicate. A Technicon Auto-analyzer was 

 used to process the samples. 



In order to determine bottom circulation in 

 the Gulf of Anadyr, direct current measure- 

 ments were obtained at anchor stations 31-34 

 using a Hydro Products Model 502 current 

 meter lowered to within 5 meters of the bot- 

 tom. This instrument records internally on a 

 strip chart the current speed, current direction 

 and water temperature. At station 30, a Marine 

 Advisors current meter with a deck readout 

 was used to monitor current speed and direc- 

 tion every 15 minutes. The current data are 

 being worked up at the University of Wash- 

 ington and will not be presented in this report. 



DISTRIBUTION OF TEMPERATURE 

 AND SALINITY 



In summer, the Gulf of Anadyr is generally 

 characterized by a two-layered water structure. 

 The only exception is an intermediate layer 

 usually found only in the southeast section of 

 the Gulf. Arsen'yev (1967) states that in the 

 winter a cold, relatively high salinity water 



