recommendations 



Our knowledge of the American waters of the Bering Sea, Chukchi Sea, and 

 Arctic regions has been increasing at a relatively rapid pace since 1947. Subsequent 

 to the presently reported cruise, unpublished oceanographic surveys have been carried 

 out in the navigable regions of the Beaufort Sea in conjunction with BAREX Operations 

 of 1950, 1951 and 1952. SKIJUMP Operations 1920 have furnished spot data on oceano- 

 graphic conditions under the icepack, and a major effort is being applied in extending 

 the boundaries of the surveyed areas. There still remain, however, several problems 

 in the Bering and Chukchi Sea regions for which more data would be desirable. 



Observational data are needed in these areas at other seasons of the year 

 to supplement the summer data and the sparse amount of winter data. Such information, 

 including year-around current measurements at Bering Strait, would assist in answering 

 the long-standing question of the driving force behind the persistent northerly flow 

 through Bering Strait in summer. Although it has been generally assumed that there 

 is a difference in level between the Pacific and Arctic Oceans 8 which results in the 

 northerly current year around, this theory has not been satisfactorily substantiated. 

 It is possible, however, that a change in level may take place locally within the Bering 

 and Chukchi Seas due primarily to the difference between wind stress exerted in the 

 summer and in the winter, and secondarily to the run-off of fresh water from the western 

 Alaskan Coast during the summer months. (Unpublished data at NEL on currents in the 

 eastern side of the Bering Strait indicate that even in summer months the current through 

 the Strait can be reversed by several days of strong northerly winds.) 



The mechanism which results in the large area of nearly homogeneous water 

 in the Nunivak Island, St. Matthew Island, Cape Romanzof area is still unknown, as are 

 the relative amounts of water supplied to the region by flow from the southwest across 

 the deep Bering Sea and by flow from the south through the eastern Aleutian passes. 



Present data on the circulation around St. Lawrence Island which forms a 

 partial block to Bering Strait are somewhat contradictory, particularly regarding struc- 

 ture to the north of the island. The main body of data supports the existence of a warm 

 region centered north of the island, while other data indicate an area of cold high- 

 salinity upwelling. A knowledge of the seasonal development of the water structure in 

 this area and its relation to the local wind conditions might resolve this apparent conflict. 



Lastly, a gap exists in the data along the Alaskan Coast between Cape Lisburne 

 and Pt. Barrow. Although this region appears to have a simple coastal circulation, 

 a study of this area would be of value to tie in the Chukchi Sea work with that done 

 in the Beaufort Sea. 



19 J. F. Holmes and L. V. Worthington Project SKIJUMP Conducted during the Period February-May 

 1951 (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Reference no. 51-67) September 1951. 



20 J. F. Holmes and L. V. Worthington Oceanographic Studies on Project SKIJUMP II (Woods Hole 

 Oceanographic Institution, Reference no. 53-23) April 1953. 



20 



