East Siberian Sea 

 East Siberia Coastal Current 



The East Siberian Sea is a very shallow basin with a level bottom. 

 The currents are constant and should not differ significantly in 

 direction from surface to bottom; however, tidal currents that generally 

 occur in shallow regions may add to the complexity of flow. As in most 

 arctic regions, there is a scarcity of data, and information concerning 

 the origin of the East Siberia Coastal Current is vague or contradictory. 



The southeast-setting East Siberia Coastal Current appears to be 

 part of a counterclockwise flow and originates principally from a 

 west-southwest-setting branch of the northwest flow north of 76°W. The 

 region west of 15 3 "E. and south of 78° W. is easily affected by winds 

 and tidal currents, and there is no constant flow; east of this region, 

 eastward sets up to 0.8 knot may occur during westerly winds. The East 

 Siberia Coastal Current follows the trend of the coast, averages about 

 0.3 knot, and occasionally reaches about 1.0 knot. 



The data in Table 3 appear to verify the general surface flow in 

 the East Siberian Sea and neighboring Arctic Ocean. In addition, data 

 on subsurface currents are given. 



The ciirrent is most persistent and least affected by winds in the 

 region east of iSO". However, the direction of the current can change 

 under the influence of easterly winds as shown by Table k. 



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