Significance of sea water supercooling and intrawater ice generation for the formation of water mass and ice cover in the East Siberian and Chukchi seas

Abstract

Considered is a case study for the East Siberian and Chukchi seas on the significance of the super cooled water and intrawater ice crystals for the formation of the ice cover structure. Given are the brief hydro meteorological description of the region under consideration and the description of ice conditions in the seas depending on the coming of heavy Arc tic ice from the north. It is noted that the intensity of the cooling of the surface water layer in autumn-winter time will in crease due to the de crease in the ice cover age of the seas in the case of the further in crease in the ice-free area. This will result in the supercooling of the surface water layer on the large territory and will cause the intensive formation of frazil ice. The accumulation of intrawater (frazil) ice crystals with their possible freezing into solid mass is inevitable in local areas at the new regular contact with supercooled water that favors the in crease in the total thick ness of the ice cover. It is also revealed that super cooled water initiates the freezing (consolidation) of detritus in ice hum mocks and coastal stamukhas. It is demonstrated that supercooling of water in the seas under consideration in autumn and winter takes place through out the shelf zone to the bottom on large areas, but due to lower salinity, the density of this water is in sufficient for taking part in the formation of deep water layers. Therefore, the water of the shelf zone of these seas influences the formation of surface Arctic water only. This distinguishes consider ably the studied processes from those ob served in Antarctic water.