10
Land-Ocean Svstems in the Siberian Arctic: Dynamics and History
This result was, probably, caused by the insufficient full-scale temperature and salinity
observations in this region.
The thermohaline component of the sea level shows the best correlation with observation data
rather than the calculated total sea level (Figure 5). Conceivably it is determined by exclusion of
the wind component by seasonal averaging of the sea level observation data.
The maximum horizontal gradients of the baroclinic component of the surface level are
observed, both in winter and in summer, in the area of the continental slope (Figure 4 A). In
summer, the maximum gradients of the barotropic component of the surface level are near the
shores. In winter, they are observed around the New-Siberian Islands, especially near the
western and northern coast. The maximum levels near the coasts of the islands contribute to the
ice outflow. This is probably the cause for recurring polynyas and fractures in this region in
winter.
As follows from few data of direct observations and the analysis of the drift of ships, buoys
and ice, the total (wind-driven and thermohaline) water circulation of the Laptev Sea has a
A
B
summer
summer
Figure 4: A - The results of diagnostic calculations (based on averaged water density fields) of the surface level in
the Laptev Sea for summer and winter; B - The results of modeling the wind-driven surface level in the Laptev
Sea for summer and winter.