north of this cold, high-salinity tongue, a protrusion of rela- 

 tively warm, low-salinity water was found. At station N14 

 (70°N) the water was found to be colder at all depths, with 

 a subsurface tongue of less than 30 degrees F. The salinity 

 at this station shows low values at the surface overlying 

 relatively high-salinity water at subsurface depths. North 

 of 70°N, the section is characterized by warmer waters in 

 the surface layers, with a subsurface temperature maximum 

 and sharp gradients in the thermocline. At the station farthest 

 to the north, water with temperatures less than 29 degrees F 

 was encountered at depths below 50 feet. The salinity section 

 north of 70°N is characterized by low salinity at the surface 

 and large vertical gradients. The low salinities in the surface 

 layers are characteristic of melt water. 



Similar characteristics of temperature and salinity were 

 encountered on the northern part of the return run from the 

 ice pack into Kotzebue Sound (compare figs. 31 and 32 with 

 figs. 23 and 24). The temperature increases at all depths 

 along the section from the ice pack to station N21 off Point 

 Hope. The low salinity in the surface layers north of station 

 N19 is due to the presence of melt water. Between stations 

 N19 and N21 the salinity decreases as the Alaskan coast is 

 approached. The increase in depth at station N22 is associated 

 with a decrease in temperature and an increase in salinity. 

 This tongue of low-temperature, high-salinity water is due 

 to the tendency of the isotherms and isohalines to follow the 

 depth contours. Higher temperatures and very low salinities 

 were encountered in Kotzebue Sound. 



Examples of the temperature-depth and salinity-depth 

 plots for the Chukchi Sea are given in figures 33, 34, and 35. 



30 35 



TEMPERATURE IN 'f. 



35 40 30 35 



I sllli si 



iniiiB 



B 



E180°W 160° 



Figure 33. Bathythermograms taken in the ice pack region. 



54 



