The areas of open water in the Kara Sea for 1930 to 1936, in thousands of square km (accord- 

 ing to calculations of Belinski) is shown in Table 115. 



TABLE 115. AREAS OF OPEN WATER IN SUMMER MONTHS 

 IN THE KARA SEA (1930 TO 1936) 



Month 



July 

 2nd half 



August 

 1st half 2nd half 



September 

 1st half 2nd half 



Average 



Thousands of 

 square km 



270 



360 



490 



620 



720 



490 



In contrast to Barents Sea, where the area of open water observed is never less than 120, 000 

 square km, in the Kara Sea almost the entire sea is completely covered with floating ice by Novem- 

 ber. Open water remains longest in the straits between Franz Joseph Land and Novaya Zemlya, due 

 to the heat and uniformily of the warm Atlantic water which pours into this region. 



Most characteristic of the Laptev Sea in the summer season is the Taimyr ice massif, which 

 descends south along the east shores of Severnaya Zemlya and the Taimyr Peninsula. In some 

 years this massif descends south to the mainland, sometimes recedes to the north leaving a passage 

 for ships along the shore, and sometimes the southern part of it breaks apart into smaller massifs 

 which are separated from each other by expanses of open water. 



The average areas of open water in Laptev Sea in thousands of square km (according to cal- 

 culations of Belinski) is shown in Table 116. These areas are mainly concentrated along the west 

 coasts of the New Siberian Islands and their existence is due primarily to the heat of river waters. 



In the East Siberian Sea the ice-edge is sharply defined. It stretches in the summer from the 

 New Siberian Islands to the Bear Islands. Thus the coastal expanse of open water gradually narrows 

 from west to east. 



TABLE 116. AREAS OF OPEN WATER DURING THE SUMMER 

 MONTHS IN LAPTEV SEA (1932 TO 1936) 



Month 



July 

 2nd half 



August 

 1st half 2nd half 



September 

 1st half 2nd half 



Average 



Thousands of 

 square km 



130 



180 



310 



370 



400 



280 



A typical example of the condition of the ice in the East Siberian Sea at the end of July and 

 beginning of August 1934 is shown in figure 185. The seasonal change in ice abundance is expressed 

 here by the ice-edge moving away to the north during the summer. 



454 



