On the Flow Through Barrow Canyon

Abstract

Simultaneous current and temperature measurements were made at two depths in Barrow Canyon for a period of 120 days from April through August, 1973. The mean of the measured currents was 25 cm s?1 toward the northeast, such that water moved out of the canyon from the Chukthi Sea toward the Arctic Ocean. The measurements, however, are characterized by higher speeds, commonly in excess of 50 cm s?1, and large variations which resulted in periods of reversed (southwest) up-canyon motion. During these reversed flow periods increased temperatures indicate the presence in the canyon at 126 m depth of Atlantic Water from 200?300 m depth in the Arctic Ocean. A close relationship exists between the measured currents and the north-south atmospheric pressure gradient, such that when the pressure rose to the north, the northward flow of water through the canyon decreased. A simple dynamic model is presented to account for the observed current-pressure relationship.