ABSTRACT 



NAVOCEANO made a survey of the Kara Sea during the summer 

 and falLof 1965. 



Data were collected at 163 oceanographic Nansen stations and in- 

 cluded serial-depth temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, nitro- 

 gen, pH, reactive phosphorus, and reactive silicate measurements. 



Six major water masses were found in the Kara Sea: Continental 

 Runoff, Atlantic Water, Arctic Water, Residual Water, Inflow from 

 the Laptev Sea, and Arctic Bottom Water. 



Atlantic Water is brought into the Kara Sea both as a deep estu- 

 arine inflow from the Arctic Ocean compensating for the outflow of 

 shallower Continental Runoff and as a relatively shallow inflow from 

 the Barents Sea. This estuarine movement from the Arctic Ocean 

 raises the core depth of the Atlantic Water from 300 to 150 meters 

 where it then mixes with the inflow from the Barents Sea and Con- 

 tinental Runoff. The movement of Atlantic Water across the 

 Barents Sea and into the Kara Sea has largely been ignored by 

 American oceanographers. 



Arctic Water is formed in the shallow peripheral seas adjacent 

 to the Arctic Ocean, e.g., the Kara Sea, by mixing of Continental 

 Runoff with the saline Atlantic Water. Salinity and density increase 

 as ice forms during the winter. 



Residual Water was found in the deeper areas of the East Novaya 

 Zemlya Trough. This water, formed by cooling and gradual sink- 

 ing, had the coldest temperatures found on the survey. 



Arctic Bottom Water was found in the deepest portions of the 

 Svyataya Anna and Voronin Troughs. It, like Atlantic Water, also 

 is probably brought into the areas as a countercurrent to the out- 

 flowing Continental Runoff. 



Reactive silicate was an interesting new parameter for examining 

 Continental Runoff; noted especially were anomalously high meas- 

 urements recorded north of Ostrov Vize. Other parameters which 

 proved valuable in the study of water masses were pH and re- 

 active phosphorus. 



DONALD B. MILLIGAN 

 Nearshore Surveys Division 



(Now with Programs Division, 

 Office of the Oceanographer of the Navy) 



