Oceanography, Mesostructure, and Currents of the Pacific Marginal Sea-Ice Zone - MIZPAC 75.

• Main Authors: Zuberbuhler,William John, Roeder,John Alexander, Paquette,Robert G, Bourke,Robert H
• Other Authors: NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL MONTEREY CALIF
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1976
• Subjects: Physical and Dynamic Oceanography; Snow; Ice and Permafrost; Acoustics; *OCEAN CURRENTS; *SEA ICE; *CHUKCHI SEA; THERMAL PROPERTIES; TEMPERATURE; MICROSTRUCTURE; EDGES; THESES; ELECTRICAL CONDUCTIVITY; DEPTH; OCEANOGRAPHIC DATA; ICE; MELTING; SOUND TRANSMISSION; PERTURBATIONS; DIFFUSION; SALINITY; ACOUSTIC VELOCITY; SEA WATER; CIRCULATION; FLOWMETERS; UNDERWATER SOUND; BATHYTHERMOGRAPH DATA; THERMOCLINES; OPEN WATER; TEMPERATURE INVERSION; ARCTIC OCEAN; MIZPAC 75 project; Oceanic structure; Ocean circulation; Marginal sea ice zones; Ice floes; Double diffusion; Mesostructure(Oceanography); WU9024909; PE62759N; Arctic; Arctic Ocean; Chukchi Sea; Chukchi Shelf; Pacific; Chukchi; Ice; permafrost; Sea ice
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA032056; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA032056

Currents and complex temperature inversions observed in the Chukchi Sea during MIZPAC 75 were investigated in an effort to define the mechanisms for the formation of mesostructure. Data was collected using a conductivity-temperature-depth recorder and a Savonius rotor current meter. Whereas in previous MIZPAC cruises mesostructure was typically observed in the vicinity of ice margins, during MIZPAC 75 it was primarily found in regions of diffuse ice floes and in the open water ice-melt region up to 96 km south of the ice margin. The nature of the mesostructure varied fairly systematically with ice diffuseness and distance from the ice margin. There was little correlation of mesostructure with current direction but a possible correlation with current strength. Mesostructure existed in the same spot for as much as two days with little change, a finding of possible significance to theories of double diffusion. A highly unusual warm bottom water on the Chukchi shelf is presumed to have originated in the Atlantic Layer of the Arctic Ocean. Master's thesis.