Such a pattern of the seasonal variation curves of temperature and salinity of the coastal 

 Siberian waters, caused by the high latitudes and by the hydrometeorological conditions, is also one 

 of their remarkable peculiarities. 



It must be noted that surface salinity of less than 25 o/oo may be found not only in the re- 

 gions described, i. e. , the delta areas of the Siberian rivers. For example, the Si b iryakov, 

 following along the east coast of Sevemaya Zemlya and the Taimyr Peninsula in 1932, observed 

 surface salinities which in one case fell to 2. 20 o/oo. But these were salinities which occurred in 

 polynyas due to melting of comparatively close ice (6/1 coverage or more), with no wind and in 

 comparatively warm weather. Such "drops" of water of low salinity, appearing in summer in a 

 certain few regions of the Arctic Basin in connection with melting of ice, are usually eliminated 

 with the first fresh wind which sets the ice in motion and thus effects a mixing. 



It has already been noted that since the indices of freezing of the coastal Siberian waters are 

 not large, directly after the commencement of cold weather the ice formation begins very quickly. 

 Obviously, the first ice to be formed will be from the "drops of melt water," especially if even 

 small vestiges of ice have been preserved in them. 



But the general circulation of such seas as the Kara and Laptev includes a ceaseless transfer 

 of ice and surface water out into the Arctic Basin. New ice formation is continually occurring on 

 the water areas which have been opened up by this transfer. It is therefore natural that many con- 

 sider that the main mass of Arctic ice is formed on the broad shallows of the Asiatic coast from 

 the coastal Siberian waters. 



Compensating for the decrease of the coastal Siberian waters, water of Atlantic origin enters 

 these seas in deep currents from the Barents Sea and from the central Arctic Basin. Approaching 

 the shallows, it flows up onto them and as a result of mixing with a small amount of coastal flow the 

 waters form new masses of coastal Siberian water. 



LITERATURE: 77. 



Section 146. Arctic Surface Water 



Figure 149 shows, according to Shirshov, the vertical distribution of temperature, salinity 

 and specific volume, observed at 86°09' north lat. and 0°58' east long. The vertical distribution of 

 oceanographical characteristics has approximately the same character in other regions of the deep 

 water part of the Arctic Basin. 



Depending on the observation region, approximately down to a depth of 50 to 150 m the tem- 

 perature is almost the same at all levels around the freezing point. Below these levels the temper- 

 ature increases sharply, at depths from 100 to 300 m passes through zero and at depths from 300 to 

 500 m it reaches its maximum. Below 300 to 500 m there begins a decrease in temperature, at 

 first rapid, and then slower and slower. At a depth of about 900 m the temperature again passes 

 through zero. At the lower depths of the deepest observation areas, the temperature increases 

 slightly at the bottom. 



The salinity increases sharply but more or less regularly from the surface down to a depth of 

 50 to 150 m within the limits from 30 to 34. 5 o/oo. Below these levels there begins a very slow in- 

 crease of salinity descending towards the bottom. 



406 



