AUTHOR'S PREFACE 



This book is respectfully dedicated to the men 

 of the Russian Navy who have studied the Arctic 

 lovingly and conscientiously, who have written 

 of what they have observed and who have not 

 written of what they have not observed. 



Arctic Ice is written according to approximately the same plan as my book Sea Water 

 and Ice,* published in 1938. 



The first part of the book gives general information on the physical-chemical properties of 

 sea water, the processes which change the temperature and the salinity of the ocean, the proc- 

 esses which form the water masses, and the interaction of ocean and atmosphere. The first part 

 of Arctic Ice is considerably abridged as compared with the first part of Sea Water and 

 Ice, but at the same time it is supplemented with new data. Almost all examples are taken in 

 reference to the Arctic Basin. 



The second part of this book, devoted to ice, has been re- edited and supplemented by recent 

 works, my own and those of other authors, particularly observations and investigations made 

 during the winter of 1941-1942 on the White Sea. 



Thus, this book cannot be called a second edition of .Sea Water and Ice, nor can it be 

 called a textbook, a scientific handbook or a monograph. It presents my personal opinions, which 

 in a number of cases still require verification and refinement. In this book I have attempted to 

 treat a great number of the problems I have encountered, without pretending to offer a final 

 solution. In attempting to make this book accessible to the greatest possible number of people 

 assigned to the Arctic, to aviators, sailors and researchers, I have presented all problems as 

 simply and comprehensively as possible. 



I realize that in writing a book on arctic ice, I have undertaken a difficult and responsible 

 task. I have not succeeded in this task as I would have liked, but I hope that even in its imperfect 

 state, this book will prove of some value in the further assimilation of the Arctic. 



I have tried to make the most possible use of existing literature and fear that I might have 

 ascribed to myself work done by others or have belittled the importance of their work. If I have 

 made involuntary errors in this respect, I sincerely beg forgiveness. 



I wish to express by indebtedness to A. D. Dobrovol'skii, L. A. Zenkevich, S. la. 

 Mittel'man and M. M. Somov for reviewing this book and for their valuable suggestions. 



♦Morskie vody i I'dy - Translator. 



