CHARACTERISTICS OF WATER IN KONGSFJORDEN, SVALBARD

• Main Authors: イトウ ハジメ, クドウ サカエ, Hajime ITO, Sakae KUDOH
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Published: National Institute of Polar Research 1997
• Subjects: Greenland; Svalbard; glacier; Greenland Sea; Kongsfjord*; Kongsfjorden; Polar meteorology and glaciology; Proceedings of the NIPR Symposium on Polar Meteorology and Glaciology
• Online Access: https://nipr.repo.nii.ac.jp/?action=repository_uri&item_id=3983; http://id.nii.ac.jp/1291/00003983/; https://nipr.repo.nii.ac.jp/?action=repository_action_common_download&item_id=3983&item_no=1&attribute_id=18&file_no=1

The characteristics of the water in Kongsfjorden, Svalbard are summarized. Data collected by NIPR since 1991 are used for discussion. The structure of the water is rather complicated, indicating active movement within the fjord. The seasonal change in the summer half year is followed and the creation mechanisms of the structure are explained. The glaciers occupy most of the drainage basin. Glacier hydrology governs the fresh water supply. A particular wind pattern is found in the fjord, whose origin is also closely related to the glacier cover. The access to Greenland Sea water at depth is another factor, which dictates the characteristics of the water. The fjord water is a heat store and fresh water dump, and contributes to the maritime local climate. The characteristics of the water are revealed to the extent that, other disciplines with their research field in the vicinity can describe their physical environment in terms of fjord water.