INTRODUCTION 



One of the primary projects at the Cape Prince 

 of Wales Field Station, Wales, Alaska, is the con- 

 tinuing and long range study of the volume transport 

 of water through the eastern Bering Strait, the water 

 temperature oscillations throughout the year, the 

 effect of meteorological phenomena and tides on the 

 net water transport, and the over-all relation to ice 

 distribution. 



The intent is not the evolution of an extensive 

 ice forecast program, but rather the evaluation of 

 physlcal-oceanographic data in a particular system, 

 the possible extrapolation of these data and proce- 

 dures to similar systems in the arctic area, and the 

 incorporation of pertinent information into existing 

 ice prediction programs. 



Field Station facilities, general measurement 

 program and instrumentation have been reported.^ 

 (See list of references at end of report.) This report 

 covers the measurement period 1953 through 1955 

 and summarizes 1954 current measurements con- 

 ducted simultaneously from seven anchor positions 

 located along a 20-nautical-mile line extending due 

 west from Wales, Alaska. 



These data have been used to calibrate on 

 electromagnetic system which records potentials gen- 

 erated by tidal-water transport. Average monthly 

 transport through a 25-mile section of the eastern 

 Bering Strait has been computed and is presented 

 herein together with monthly bottom sea water 

 temperatures and tidal data. 



A projected, additional report will study the 

 transport on the basis of temperature-density dis- 

 tribution and will compare the results with the direct 

 observations reported herein. 



CURRENT MEASUREMENTS 

 direct observations 



METHOD AND INSTRUMENTATION 



On 1 August 1954, in conjunction with the 1954 

 Joint Canadian-U. S. Beaufort Sea Expedition, a 

 series of simultaneous current observations were taken 

 for approximately 14 hours. Seven stations were lo- 

 cated along a 20-nautical-mile line extending due 

 west from the Cape Prince of Wales Field Station 

 across the eastern Bering Strait (fig. 1). The 8- and 

 12-mile positions were occupied by the icebreakers. 







'SO 



li^ 



I i> 



DIOMEDE ISLANDS 



a 



3 1 .5 \ RADIO TOWERS, WALES 

 CAPE PRINCE OF WALES I 



Figure 1. Location of current sta- 

 tions, 1 August 1954, in the Eastern 

 Bering Strait. 



