by the fall of the barometer. There are often periods of moderate 

 weather. Strong winds or gales from any quarter always bring thick 

 weather, rain, or snow. With easterly or southerly winds the rain is 

 continuous, while T7ith vrostorly or northerly v/inds the rain or snow occurs 

 at intoncals in squalls, and when tho wind subsides the weather is likely 

 to be clear. 



Southeast gales, with falling barometer --.and rising tenperature are 

 generally preceded by an almost unusual clearness of the air; cirrus clouds 

 are seen southwestvrard, v/hich gradually thicken and overspread tho sky. Tlie 

 wind usually shifts to southwcstward when the barometer ceases to fall, but 

 it sometimes backs from southeast to northeast and generally goes to north- 

 west before subsiding. Upon abating, the gale is followed by light -westerly 

 winds and comparatiyely clear weather. (See charts on V7eather)> 



Ice generally covers Bering Sea north of the Pribilof :rlslands and 

 Bristol Bay during the winter, but there may be considerable seasonal 

 variaijions. This ice invariably moves northward, propelled by tho surface 

 current through the Boring Sea into tlio Arctic Ocean, unless influenced by 

 adverse winds. The movement generally begins in April, ico broakirig along 

 the Siberian coast. Bering Strait may not be free o.f - ice until the first 

 v/eek in July. 



RESULTS AMD DISCUSSION . 



Temper ature and Ch lorinity Distribution. The distribution of surface 

 temperature (Table I) was characterized by a decrease from east to v/est. 

 Comparatively high temperatures of above 9° C. were found along the Alaskan 

 coast off the Yukon Delta. This region extended fromllunivak Island through 

 Ilorton Sound to the Sevrard Peninsula. In the southern portion of Bering 

 Sea, a tongue ox' warm water protuded v;est of a line between St. George and 

 Bogoslof Islands (Section XIII). Cold surface water of from 3° to 6° C. 

 was found along tho East Siberian coast, extending from St. Lawrence Island 

 west of the Diomcdcs to the Arctic Ocean. Abnormally low surface tcmporaturos 

 of 2.34° C. and 2.32° C. were found at stations 39 and 50 within this area. 

 Most of the surface tomporatures observed v/oro between 6° and 9°, indicating 

 that tompcraturo range throughout the central portion of Boi'ing Sea and the 

 eastern part of Bering Strait. Isothorriis for subsurface levels to depths 

 of 50 meters paralleled roughly surface isotherms and _.lso contours of equal 

 bottom depth. Temperatures at subsurface levels xioro lower than at the sur- 

 face. The 6° isotherm at 25 meters occupied approxira;,tely the position of 

 the 9° surface isotherm,. Yalucs of below 0° G.were found at 25 meters 

 betYifoen St. Lawrence Island and the Siberian mainland (Stations 68 and 69). 

 Tho coldest water on tho cruise with a miniraum temper.. t'oro of -1.63°C. was 

 found noar the bottdm (50 meters depth) in tho region southwest of St. 

 Lawrence Isl;:nd. This cold area included Sections IX, X, and tho western 

 end of XI, pointing to tho Gulf of Anadir as the "cold center" of Bering 

 •^jea • 



Chlorinity values for surf.aco v;atcrs increased from about 10.00 °/oo 

 near the Aleutian Ridge to a maximum of above 18,25 °/oo,' 50 miles north of 

 the ridge. Continuing north from this area, the values decreased to bo- 

 pieen 17.25°/oo and 17.50 °/oo at 60° north latitude (Section , XI) . North 



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