Internal Solitary Waves in the Laptev Sea: First Results of Spaceborne SAR Observations

Abstract

The first results of internal solitary wave (ISW) observations over the ice-free Laptev Sea derived from 354 ENVISAT Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar (ASAR) images acquired in May–October 2011 are reported. Analysis of the data reveals the key regions of ISW distribution that are primarily found over the outer shelf/slope regions poleward the M2 critical latitude. Most of the ISWs are observed in regions where enhanced tide-induced vertical mixing and heat fluxes have been previously reported. This suggests that spaceborne SAR observations may serve as a tool to infer local mixing hot spots over the ice-free Arctic Ocean.