direction with speeds from 5 to 15 cm/sec. Near the bottom at 18 

 meters, flow was to the northeast with speeds similar to those at 

 9 meters. 



Near the mouth of the Kolyma River at anchor station 4, the 

 14 observations made suggested flow to set in a northerly direction 

 at the surface and in a southwesterly direction near the bottom. 

 Measured surface current speeds ranged from 5 to 30 cm/ sec. At 

 9 meters, current speeds from 5 to 20 cm/sec were measured setting 

 to the west. 



Figure 29 illustrates vector representations of observed 

 currents at stations 1, 2, and 4. Each vector represents a single 

 observation. Figure 30 illustrates observed currents versus time 

 at stations 2 and 4. 



Because of data collection limitations and the paucity of 

 observations, current data discussed here are probably at best considered 

 questionable. The general current directions, however, appear to 

 corroborate the circulation patterns suggested by observed temperature 

 and salinity distribution. 



V. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS 



A. Interpretive Limitations. 



Although much information has been forthcoming, oceanographic 

 studies in the shallow Siberian seas are subject to some basic limitations, 

 as pointed out previously by Aagaard (1964) and Codispoti (1965) . 

 Dynamic equilibrium probably is poorly developed or absent in both 

 the East Siberian and Laptev Seas. Reflecting the absence of steady 

 state conditions, wide variations in temperature and salinity were 

 frequently observed from one station to the next during both the 

 1963 NORTHWIND and 1964 BURTON ISLAND surveys. 



Few direct current observations are available for either the 

 East Siberian Sea or Laptev Sea. No current observations were made 

 during the 1963 NORTHWIND survey, and current observations were made 

 at only four anchor stations during the BURTON ISLAND survey. Dynamic 

 computations, ordinarily used when direct current observations are 

 unavailable, are of dubious value in these shallow seas. No suitable 

 reference level for such computations exists in a water column typically 

 less than 100 meters deep. 



Bathymetric data available are inadequate and detailed charts 

 can not be constructed for either sea. Since circulation in these 

 seas is probably subject to bathymetric influence, lack of such knowledge 

 hampers oceanographic interpretation. 



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