Features of Seasonal and Interannual Variability of the Sea Level
and Water Circulation in the Laptev Sea
V.K. Pavlov! and P.V. Pavlov 2
(1) State Research Center - Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute, 38 Bering St., 199226 St. Petersburg,
Russia
(2) INTAARI Ltd., 38 Bering St., 199226 St. Petersburg, Russia
Received 3 March 1997 and accepted in revised form 3 March 1998
Abstract - Water circulation and spatial structure of the surface level are up to the present
time the least investigated processes in the physical oceanography of the Laptev Sea.
Based on the analysis of the available sea level observations and the results of numerical
modeling, estimations of the spatial-temporal variability of the surface level and water
circulation of the Laptev Sea at seasonal and climatic time scales were obtained.
Probable causes for the interannual variability of sea level and water circulation in the
Laptev Sea are considered.
Introduction
The Laptev Sea has the strongest water dynamics of all the marginal Arctic Seas. As a result of
extensive open boundaries with the Arctic Basin, water circulation of the Laptev Sea is part of
the general water circulation of the Arctic Ocean. However, a complicated bottom topography
(more than 71.7% of the Laptev Sea area are shallower than 200 m and more than 6.5% are
deeper than 1000 m) (Terms. Notions. Reference Table, 1980), an intense water exchange,
baroclinicity, the presence of year-round drifting ice govern in many respects, the water
circulation features and the related level regime of the Laptev Sea at seasonal and climatic
scales.
Rivers discharge (about 726 km 3 a year) and water exchange through the straits and the open
boundaries (about 32000 km 3 a year) playa special role in the formation of water circulation in
the Laptev Sea.
The water exchange of the Laptev Sea is subject to a strong seasonal variability. Thus for
example, the runoff of the Lena river in winter is 10 times less, as compared to the summer
season. The runoff of such rivers as Khatanga, Olenek, Yana and Anabar in the wintertime is
actually completely absent. The seasonal variability of oceanographic conditions and general
water circulation of the Arctic Ocean, is obviously reflected in the seasonal variability of the
water exchange of the Laptev Sea through the straits.
Scarce data of direct observations of currents in the Laptev Sea and practically a complete
absence of direct observations of the open sea level do not allow even a rough reconstruction of
the mean spatial structure of the level surface and water circulation, not to mention their
seasonal and climatic variability.
Hence mathematical modeling is one of the real possible tools for investigating the level
regime and water circulation.
This work combines observational data and numerical calculations in order to describe the
spatial-temporal structure of the surface level, as well as of the wind-driven and thermohaline
water circulation of the Laptev Sea.
The factors causing the variability of sea level and currents at seasonal and climatic time scales
are analyzed.
In: Kassens, H., H.A, Bauch, I. Dmitrenko, H. Eicken, H.-W. Hubberten, M. Melles, J, Thiede and L. Timokhov (eds.)
Land-Ocean Systems in the Siberian Arctic: Dynamics and History. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 1999,3-16.
and Water Circulation in the Laptev Sea
V.K. Pavlov! and P.V. Pavlov 2
(1) State Research Center - Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute, 38 Bering St., 199226 St. Petersburg,
Russia
(2) INTAARI Ltd., 38 Bering St., 199226 St. Petersburg, Russia
Received 3 March 1997 and accepted in revised form 3 March 1998
Abstract - Water circulation and spatial structure of the surface level are up to the present
time the least investigated processes in the physical oceanography of the Laptev Sea.
Based on the analysis of the available sea level observations and the results of numerical
modeling, estimations of the spatial-temporal variability of the surface level and water
circulation of the Laptev Sea at seasonal and climatic time scales were obtained.
Probable causes for the interannual variability of sea level and water circulation in the
Laptev Sea are considered.
Introduction
The Laptev Sea has the strongest water dynamics of all the marginal Arctic Seas. As a result of
extensive open boundaries with the Arctic Basin, water circulation of the Laptev Sea is part of
the general water circulation of the Arctic Ocean. However, a complicated bottom topography
(more than 71.7% of the Laptev Sea area are shallower than 200 m and more than 6.5% are
deeper than 1000 m) (Terms. Notions. Reference Table, 1980), an intense water exchange,
baroclinicity, the presence of year-round drifting ice govern in many respects, the water
circulation features and the related level regime of the Laptev Sea at seasonal and climatic
scales.
Rivers discharge (about 726 km 3 a year) and water exchange through the straits and the open
boundaries (about 32000 km 3 a year) playa special role in the formation of water circulation in
the Laptev Sea.
The water exchange of the Laptev Sea is subject to a strong seasonal variability. Thus for
example, the runoff of the Lena river in winter is 10 times less, as compared to the summer
season. The runoff of such rivers as Khatanga, Olenek, Yana and Anabar in the wintertime is
actually completely absent. The seasonal variability of oceanographic conditions and general
water circulation of the Arctic Ocean, is obviously reflected in the seasonal variability of the
water exchange of the Laptev Sea through the straits.
Scarce data of direct observations of currents in the Laptev Sea and practically a complete
absence of direct observations of the open sea level do not allow even a rough reconstruction of
the mean spatial structure of the level surface and water circulation, not to mention their
seasonal and climatic variability.
Hence mathematical modeling is one of the real possible tools for investigating the level
regime and water circulation.
This work combines observational data and numerical calculations in order to describe the
spatial-temporal structure of the surface level, as well as of the wind-driven and thermohaline
water circulation of the Laptev Sea.
The factors causing the variability of sea level and currents at seasonal and climatic time scales
are analyzed.
In: Kassens, H., H.A, Bauch, I. Dmitrenko, H. Eicken, H.-W. Hubberten, M. Melles, J, Thiede and L. Timokhov (eds.)
Land-Ocean Systems in the Siberian Arctic: Dynamics and History. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 1999,3-16.