Barents Sea tidal and inertial motions from Argos ice buoys during the Coordinated Eastern Arctic Experiment

Abstract

A harmonic analysis, constrained to estimate separately ice motions forced by tides and inertial oscillations, was applied to observed positions of Argos buoys deployed on drifting multiyear sea ice in the eastern Arctic Ocean and Barents Sea during the Coordinated Eastern Arctic Experiment (1988–1989). Individual tidal components were estimated at 15‐day intervals, and inertial oscillations were estimated at 3‐day intervals. The S2 tidal component was distinguishable from inertial motions south of 79°N, and the M2 tidal component was distinguishable from the inertial motion north of 77.5°N. Computed ice velocities of up to 70 cm s−1 for M2 tidal motion over Spitsbergen Bank southeast of Svalbard agreed reasonably well with the regional tidal models (no ice cover) of Gjevik and of Kowalik. Regional differences in the energy distribution in the Arctic Basin (low), Barents shelf (high), and Spitsbergen Bank (extreme) were emphasized by this technique. The M4 tidal component in the ice motion was typically as large over the Barents shelf as the inertial oscillation.